What world/concepts would make for a good D&D movie?

[Viking Bastard]

I really don't like the Forgotten Realms much. Never been my cup of tea.

Yet, that's what I went with. I think it would make the best setting for a D&D movie.
I want to see the D&D movies as adventure movies. Larger than life Heroes having
fun, kicking monster arses and throwing wisecracks. That's D&D for me.

Somehow, Forgotten Realms just sounds... suitable. I dunno.

My backup choice is Dragonlance, if people want to go the epic trilogy LotR route.

 

[James Heard]

Even though I really disliked Spelljammer I think it would work fairly well as a movie. Why? Because it would be safe to make it a comedy. Giant Space Hamsters, what more can you say?

I also think that Eberron would work fairly well, mostly because I think the actors involved would 'get it' though I'm fairly certain that it would quickly be dismissed to afternoon reruns on the SciFi channel - well, unless it had Ash in it. The D&D cartoon angle is pretty interesting too, since there's a whole layer of campy niche market to explore there. I want Robin Williams to be the Dungeon Master.

 

[Klaus]

Nah, Robin Williams ain't funny no more...

Although Collin Mochrie (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) might make a good DM...

 

[Faraer]

Eberron was bought and developed with exactly this purpose in mind.

The established worlds have very specific feels; those of the Realms and Greyhawk especially are subtle rather than easily encapsulated, based on complex traditions of sword and sorcery fiction, far from the modern youth-movie sensibility. I can't imagine a Hollywood film successfully emulating them; the Lord of the Rings films are as authentic as they are because not just the writer and director but the *crew* knew Middle-earth -- that won't happen with any of the D&D-connected worlds. Dragonlance would also be problematic because it's *so* Tolkienesque (except based on Mormonism instead of Roman Catholicism). A good but inauthentic D&D film might be good commercially for D&D, but it would be damaging to the secondary worlds themselves.

Giant space hamsters are only funny when you take them absolutely seriously.

 

[WayneLigon]

A fairly generic world, since for the first movie you probably shouldn't touch too much on the world itself. Get the characters, get them into trouble, get them out of it. Take, oh, the changing-wall pyramid idea from AvP, a group of people must go into it to rescue someone, etc.


Stars? Hmm. Kal Penn (Kumar, Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle) as the rogue, Kevin Zeggers (Guy Who Dies First, Wrong Turn) as the mage, Jake Gyllenhaal (Day After Tomrrow, etc) as the warrior. Just off the top of my head.

 

[FireLance]

To me, the setting for the movie is irrelevant. A movie that is true to the spirit of D&D should have an ensemble cast. The biggest failure (IMO) of the original D&D movie was that it had a single hero and assorted sidekicks.

 

[takyris]

Ditto Firelance. That was pretty much exactly what I was going to say.

 

[Zappo]

Dragonlance, because it has a certain recognition beyond D&D players. Or Planescape - but if it's done right, people wouldn't recognize it as a D&D movie at all... think something like "What dreams may come". Less action/adventure, more of a "serious" movie.

 

[Kanegrundar]

I picked Forgotten Realms. There are tons of great stories that would make for excellent movie series...if done right. I know many will groan, but the Drizzt stories would make great movies, IMO. Lots of action, high adventure, and plenty of cool affects to go along with one of the truly classic D&D characters.

I honestly don't care where they placed a D&D, just as long as it doesn't suck. I HATED the D&D movie. What a total waste of film. With all the great material to work with that's the best they could do? Come on.

Kane

 

[Kanegrundar]

Who would I have play in a Drizzt-inspired movie?

Oded Fehr (The Mummy, Duece Bigalow) - Drizzt
Linsay Lohan - Cattie-Brie
John Rhys-Davies - Bruenor (He set the standard for movie dwarves)
Joel Edgerton (King Arthur) - Wulfgar

I'll cast some of the villains later. Gotta get back to work!

Adios,
Kane