D&D Movie/TV What would a good D&D movie be like?

[MadPuppy]

The Biggest thing I don't want is to fall into the "Tolkien Trap".
This is the World saving plot from the Evil bad guy bent on destroying everything....

we need a smaller more interesting story. something that doesn't have the world in the balance.

My favorite Fantasy films are:

Dragon slayer
Ladyhawke
Dracula
Princess Bride (I know it is campy)
Time Bandits (again campy)
Lord of the rings
Harry Potter series

Looking for good production and special effects not like the cheap 1st movie and certainly not like the poor writing in the last two.

 

[Mercule]

Presumably, the same way you can't do a good Lego movie?

I haven't seen the Lego movie (it's on the list, though). My understanding, though, is that it's a bit silly (in a good way) and has some self-referential cheesiness. That's great for something like Lego. If a "D&D" done that way, though, it'd be a big budget version of "The Gamers". I could be entertained by that, but it's not really the sort of thing that would be beneficial to "the brand" or likely even make a ton of money.

You could call almost any fantasy genre movie a "D&D" movie. It'd be a fairly meaningless title, though. Why is it a D&D movie? Is it because it has elves and dwarves? Fighters and Wizards? Those are all so generic, that it doesn't have to be D&D. To call it out as "D&D" would have to be done with a wink, which I'd rather not have. If you start with "D&D movie" as the goal, just go ahead and hire Michael Bay to direct. It'll be visually spectacular, marginally incoherent, and have a passable box office for the cost. That might actually be representative of most campaigns, too.

A viable alternative would be to just buy the rights to a fantasy script that's got promise, hire Joss Whedon to direct whatever he wants, and throw the name "Dungeons and Dragons" on the final product. I'd probably go see it, but I wouldn't actually feel like it had real brand identity.

 

[Ristamar]

Did they have issues with the Dark Elves in Thor: The Dark World? I didn't hear any racial outcry over that film.

The dark elves in the second Thor movie weren't actually dark in terms of pigmentation. Just the opposite, actually. Their skin was very pale.

That being said, I don't think potential racial sensitivity would be the thing that keeps a villainous drow culture and society from being featured in the movie.

 

[Greg K]

For starters: No Planescape. No Spelljammer. No Eberron. No Shadar-Kai. No Dragonborn.

Beyond the above, I'd go either with the Icewind Dale trilogy (Crystal Shard/Stream of Silver/Halfling's Gem) or the original Dragonlance trilogy. The former has Drizzt and is set in the Forgotten Realms and the latter is Dragonlance. This is despite my preference for Al Qadim, Darksun, and Ravenloft as settings. As some people have stated, Drizzt, the Forgotten Realms, and Dragonlance all have a well established core outside of D&D players.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

The people behind Star Trek did a great job of integrating actors, white and black, into the Klingon race. But I think any D&D movie would be tracking into more dangerous grounds given the nature of the Drow. Being black is one of their important contrasting elements with surface elves, as is having an evil society. I suspect that will be a far more controversial issue to present than black actors playing Klingons. I think media critics will spot the issue with any form of the high profile, big budget movie that Hasbro seems to want for the D&D trademark and make it a very uncomfortable sell.

Again, see Defiance's Omec. Evil, decadent society. They eat sentients. Refined culture, bestial elements to their physiology. Purple skin & white hair. 2 black actors.

Zero F's given.

 

[bogmad]

Presumably, the same way you can't do a good Lego movie?

The Lego movie was made for children, but with enough smarts and good enough that adults could also enjoy the hell out of it.

A D&D movie should be made for... 14 to 35 year olds let's say, but accessible enough that younger kids will also enjoy it (they're going for blockbuster here, so it'll be pg13 at it's most "adult").

Also, as I mentioned before, it's the "brand" they're selling, which is cross media stories these days, not the ttrpg game (though there will definitely be easter eggs it shouldn't be the core premise).

 

[Greg K]

The Biggest thing I don't want is to fall into the "Tolkien Trap".
This is the World saving plot from the Evil bad guy bent on destroying everything....

we need a smaller more interesting story. something that doesn't have the world in the balance.

My favorite Fantasy films are:

Dragon slayer
Ladyhawke
Dracula
Princess Bride (I know it is campy)
Time Bandits (again campy)
Lord of the rings
Harry Potter series

Looking for good production and special effects not like the cheap 1st movie and certainly not like the poor writing in the last two.

Dragonslayer, Ladyhawke, Lord of the Rings are my favorites (along with the old Harryhausen Sinbad movies). I liked the Harry Potter movies, but they are not what I would want for a D&D movie. I also like the Princess Bride, but it is, again, not what I want for a D&D movie.

 

[Ristamar]

Presumably, the same way you can't do a good Lego movie?

I haven't seen the Lego movie (it's on the list, though). My understanding, though, is that it's a bit silly (in a good way) and has some self-referential cheesiness. That's great for something like Lego. If a "D&D" done that way, though, it'd be a big budget version of "The Gamers". I could be entertained by that, but it's not really the sort of thing that would be beneficial to "the brand" or likely even make a ton of money.

LEGO had already established a tone and identity through dozens of video games over the last decade that were both an homage and a parody of very popular and respectable source material enjoyed by people of all ages. The movie was built on that foundation.

I wholeheartedly agree that basic "D&D" as a brand isn't much of a basis for a movie. It's far too nebulous. While you don't necessarily have to feature big names (Drizzt, Elminster, etc) as the main characters, there needs to be a solid foundation with familiar touchstones provided by an established setting and corresponding fiction.

Personally, I wouldn't mind seeing them adapt the Baldur's Gate trilogy to a series of feature films or shows. WotC doesn't seem to be shy about using Minsc and Boo as a marketing tool in their products.

 

[delericho]

I haven't seen the Lego movie (it's on the list, though). My understanding, though, is that it's a bit silly (in a good way) and has some self-referential cheesiness. That's great for something like Lego. If a "D&D" done that way...

Please note that I'm not calling for any D&D movie to be "done that way". I'm simply pointing out the flaw in the argument that you can't make a good D&D movie because it has no built-in story.

You could call almost any fantasy genre movie a "D&D" movie. It'd be a fairly meaningless title, though...

A viable alternative would be to just buy the rights to a fantasy script that's got promise, hire Joss Whedon to direct whatever he wants, and throw the name "Dungeons and Dragons" on the final product.

Pretty sure that this is what they're going to do (minus Joss Whedon).

 

[MadPuppy]

Dragonslayer, Ladyhawke, Lord of the Rings are my favorites (along with the old Harryhausen Sinbad movies). I liked the Harry Potter movies, but they are not what I would want for a D&D movie. I also like the Princess Bride, but it is, again, not what I want for a D&D movie.

Completely agree, I was just being transparent. While thee are Campy movies that I really liked. For this project I don't advocate that way to go.

I failed to mention the sinbad movies I liked them too.

I just know that I'm tired of "save the world" fantasy. It for one doesn't lend itself to sequels very well....for example, yet again we must save the world from the Evil Devil, Bad Guy, or crazy nut....Yawn.....

I think some other posters here said it best:

D&D is about story telling in a fantasy setting.
Make the movie in a D&D world, don't make the movie about a game.
don't describe everything in D&D terms either, that was part of the mistake of the 3rd movie: "epic", "Cleric/Paladin", etc.... what they got right was the bag of holding, the gate keeper, some of the settings.

Some of my thoughts to bring Fantasy to the masses (ala Comics):
1. A ghost story in a fantasy setting
2. Mob/heist movie in fantasy setting (Zhentarim as Mobsters)
- Kinda like the idea of a Quentin Tarantino/Guy Ritchie movie here
- I like the multiple stories that intersect type of plots.
3. Mystery/Serial Killer story in Fantasy setting
4. Tomb of Horrors? White Plume Mountain? as a movie
- classic dungeon crawl with traps fantastic creatures, very Indiana Jonesish
- Though the module concept fits better as an episodic TV series type of thing.
5. The dirtry Dozen as a fantasy war movie?
6. Western in a fantasy setting
- Clint eastwood drifter type rolls into town, Bad guys abound.