D&D General What Are Dragonlance's Weis & Hickman, and Actor Manganiello Cooking Up?

Actor and D&D superfan Joe Manganiello and Dragonlance co-author Tracy Hickman have both posted a cryptic image on their respective social medias showing themselves, along with Margaret Weis standing together in front of a large dragon statue at Wizards of the Coast's offices in Renton, Washington.

Hickman's image was accompanied by the words "Something is coming...", and in Manganiello's case "WE'RE BACK", to which Wizards of the Coast replied "Welcome back to the table!" A later photograph from Weis also included Laura Hickman and Dan Ayoub, who was named head of Dungeons & Dragons back in July of this year.

The posts have sparked speculation as to what they might mean, with guesses ranging from a revival of Manganiello's Dragonlance TV show project--which was no longer in development after he stated in February 2024 that "Dragonlance is not a property WotC are interested in developing further currently"--to a new Dragonlance-based D&D adventure.

Weis and Hickman co-wrote a new Dragonlance trilogy in recent years following a legal dust-up with Wizards of the Coast which was ultimately dismissed without prejudice, so it would seem that any bad blood from the dispute has been left in the past.

The question now remains--what are they all cooking up this time?

 

[Parmandur]

so if Spock and Kirk were different actors of different colors and genders in each episode, that would be perfectly fine because they are fictional and have no identity?

Indeed, now you are getting it.

 

[mamba]

Do we include the white elves enslaving the darker skinned indigenous coded elves?

would you prefer a mixed group of elves to enslave another mixed group of elves?

The point is that if you have a fantasy movie or a tv show where white people enslave brown people, you're going to cultivate a certain kind of audience that likes what they see.

even if the white elves are the bad guys for enslaving the brown elves? Do I now need mixed ethnicity Nazis because them all being white is too much?

 

[Parmandur]

would you prefer a mixed group of elves to enslave another mixed group of elves?

Actually, yes? If not cut the slavery entirely.

 

[Teemu]

So we cannot have the white elves doing bad things.

We cannot even have the isolationist, xenophobic white elves even be all white.

Because...bad people would see bad things, and like it?

Wrap it up folks, the modern viewer is too sensitive to figure it out.

It's a marvel we even got Game of Thrones, or any product aimed at adults I guess. Too much for people to handle.

That's not what I said.

First, both Qualinesti and Silvanesti took part in the enslavement. Second, they are on the side of the Good people. They didn't join the Dragonarmies and Takhisis. Two of the original protagonists are Qualinesti, and one is half-Qualinesti. Their leaders are not depicted as evil and reprehensible for what they do to the Kagonesti.

White elves doing bad things is fine. White elves doing enslavement to brown elves is a dogwhistle that will attract racists. They will see the depiction and they will cheer on it and meme it. That's what's going to end up happening if you portray the events as they exist in the books.

 

[Teemu]

would you prefer a mixed group of elves to enslave another mixed group of elves?


even if the white elves are the bad guys for enslaving the brown elves? Do I now need mixed ethnicity Nazis because them all being white is too much?

Personally I'd remove the enslavement thing completely. It's not necessary for the story. The Qualinesti and Silvanesti can be and are flawed in other ways too.

 

[gban007]

The point is that if you have a fantasy movie or a tv show where white people enslave brown people, you're going to cultivate a certain kind of audience that likes what they see. Is that the kind of audience Dragonlance deserves?

Doesn't it depend ultimately on whether presented as a good or bad thing? In the novels at least it is presented as a bad thing, with some of the more hero types, especially Theros, trying to end it. If presented as being good for the Kagonesti, then I think it'd be a problem.

 

[Teemu]

Doesn't it depend ultimately on whether presented as a good or bad thing? In the novels at least it is presented as a bad thing, with some of the more hero types, especially Theros, trying to end it. If presented as being good for the Kagonesti, then I think it'd be a problem.

No because the people doing it, the white elves, are generally beautiful and admirable. Their flaws are basically, "we're too perfect so we're arrogant". The people who like their abhorrent behavior won't see them as bad people. We've seen the same thing happen in many entertainment properties. You portray evil but it looks kind of cool, and thus you actually just end up strengthening the ideas among some of the audience.

 

[gban007]

No because the people doing it, the white elves, are generally beautiful and admirable. Their flaws are basically, "we're too perfect so we're arrogant". The people who like their abhorrent behavior won't see them as bad people. We've seen the same thing happen in many entertainment properties. You portray evil but it looks kind of cool, and thus you actually just end up strengthening the ideas among some of the audience.

Yeah, you do have a point there, it is an unfortunate state of affairs through. Ideally we'd break the idea of the elves being beautiful and admirable though, as they aren't for most part, Laurana is something of an exception. I dont recall the elves in general being described as that good looking in general, though could be wrong.
I do also agree that I feel the slavery subplot isnt that important to the overall story, and could be omitted, I just like it as it helps highlight the flaws of the elves.

 

[Nicholas Reed]

So we cannot have the white elves doing bad things.

We cannot even have the isolationist, xenophobic white elves even be all white.

Because...bad people would see bad things, and like it?

Wrap it up folks, the modern viewer is too sensitive to figure it out.

It's a marvel we even got Game of Thrones, or any product aimed at adults I guess. Too much for people to handle.

Trust me, the internet is barely representative of real fantasy enjoying communities out there. People in the real world love mature fantasy. Modern viewers are much, much smarter than people give them credit for.

 

[EthanSental]

As a long time comic reader and this question spiraling from that and into the current discussion, which props to the people active in this thread keeping things civil and respectful, what do we think the discourse would be in 15-20 years if Marvel decided to recast or do a new origin story for RiRi Williams in the Iron man story verse? She’s portrayed as an African American in both the comics and the disney plus tv show currently but in the future went Asian, white, Native American, etc? Would the fans care, would social media be active in the discussion of changing of a colored character?

More of a thought experiment and if it’s been discussed before in other threads, sorry as I must have missed out on that discussion.