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

[bogmad]

I second the small beginning, probably a heist movie. There is a precedent for this in Fantasy...
Don't bring in the big MacGuffins immediately. This is a franchise, start small and assume you can get to the really epic stuff later. Don't reveal there's a larger metaplot with the macGuffin until the end of the movie. This is a franchise of course, but the first movie should be more or less self contained. At most, you can blow up the orginal Death Star, but no need to overthrow the Empire.

Basically, instead of going full Lord of the Rings, start with the Hobbit

... and don't require that the prequel be more over the top and trying to outdo the end of the story...

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Re: magic

Don't explain, just do. Exposition of any rules-based peculiarities would just slow things down. Instead, let the casters go through their repertoire of spells, changing as they need to, and let the audience supply their own reasons for "why". Showing a caster with his nose buried in a tome need only be noted as "studying arcane mysteries" or the like- the rationale again being supplied in the minds of viewers.

 

[FormerlyHemlock]

Re: magic

Don't explain, just do. Exposition of any rules-based peculiarities would just slow things down. Instead, let the casters go through their repertoire of spells, changing as they need to, and let the audience supply their own reasons for "why". Showing a caster with his nose buried in a tome need only be noted as "studying arcane mysteries" or the like- the rationale again being supplied in the minds of viewers.

I agree, and here is why:

D&D is problematic because of Sanderson's First Law (http://brandonsanderson.com/sandersons-first-law/): "An author’s ability to solve conflict with magic is DIRECTLY PROPORTIONAL to how well the reader understands said magic." In a D&D movie there will be readers who understand the D&D magic system very, very well, and others who are totally ignorant of it. This suggests that it's really better to keep the magic level low enough that you can define it for the audience: "I'm an enchanter, I modify memories and take control of minds" is fine, but obviously "I'm a generalist wizard with a well-rounded selection of spells from Polymorph to Scrying to Animate Dead plus nine more" is right out, at least for the protagonist. (Generalist wizard would be fine for comic relief, or for a foil to the protagonist(s), he just can't be part of resolving the dramatic conflict.)
[MENTION=6776365]hatecraft[/MENTION] in post #9 said it really well in my opinion: fantastic things as a setting, not as plot. And yes, a meta-narrative would be great, if you were going for a light comic tone. I nominate hatecraft and dannyalcatraz to produce the movie.

 

[steeldragons]

Oh, that reminds me of a #10 for my list. Good call [MENTION=19675]Dannyalcatraz[/MENTION]

re: Magic. Yes, don't explain. Show and do.

As for the showing, I would not mind a limit to the big flashy magical effects...and it might not be possible because D&D does do/have "flashy" magic as a matter of course...Little tricks, illusions, minor "Cantrip" style magic and magic items are fine and good. But the "throwing lightning bolts and fireballs around" or "stopping a balor's sword with shimmering silver forcefield/dome/globe" [just as an example] should be only a FEW distinct and high powered/climactic (or desperate?) moments.

Effects should be slight "glows" or "shimmers/ripples" in the air...SUBTLE! That's the word I'm looking for. SUBTLE Magic effects...except for those few big plot moments (almost certainly combats) of "flashy" spell use.

 

[mflayermonk]

It would be the Avengers with D&D characters as each superhero.

 

[The Grassy Gnoll]

Is love to see Dragonlance but I fear the FR will win out.
The Drow have too much racial hot potato to them for Drizzt to work, imo.
What about a return to the core? Aleena the hot cleric and In'ser T'nameHe're, the local Fighter versus Bargle and his Ghouls?
The danger of showing the ttrpg mixed with the PCs is the shadow of Mazes and Monsters...

 

[MadPuppy]

As much as Hollywood wouldn't do it... I think the best way to establish the D&D "film brand" is to start small. You need to establish the fantasy world the characters live in, you need to establish many of the tropes of "D&D" that live in this world, you need to establish the premise of "adventuring", which is what D&D is about (and thereby differentiating it from all the other fantasy films / tv shows out there.)

What you need to do is ape the plot of the fantasy films that do all that in spades.

You need to ape The Goonies mixed with some Raiders of the Lost Ark.

A band of adventurers finds a treasure map, and races against another group of "evil" adventurers to reach a huge treasure in order to save their town. They face off against many other enemies and obstacles along the way... and the climax of the film is a trek through a booby-trapped dungeon.

You don't get more Dungeons & Dragons than that.

Leave the political machinations, the massive monster invasions, the Chosen One vs The World Threatening Event for a couple films down the line. We've GOTTEN those in the Lord of the Rings saga, The Hobbit, soon to be Warcraft, Game of Thrones. Dungeons & Dragons is smaller than that. At least, GOOD Dungeons & Dragons is smaller than that. It's about adventurers of different stripes coming together to find some treasure and/or rescue someone of import. Start there. Establish the premise of the game in the movie. Use the opening scene of Raiders to establish your adventurer band "in media res" invading a small dungeon... then once they acquire their treasure, transition into an scoped outline of The Goonies story for the rest. Their small town in trouble (maybe kidnappings from the outlying farms.) The Adventurers discover the humanoid bands that are taking their victims on behalf of another evil group... they learn of a McGuffin the group is trying to get via a map or something... they get hired to go get it first and they then fight their way through some old ruins... make their way into the dungeons and face off against the monsters, members of the other group and the deadly traps therein... and by the end acquire it.

Small, simple, and you give yourself the time to establish the tropes of the game that make this fantasy a bit different than the other fantasy films and worlds out there.

I agree 100% with this.
I woiuld go even further, change up the genera not so unlike what "Alien" did for SciFi (horror mixed with SciFi).
I would find a director like Guy Ritchie and make a fantasy flick in the vein of "Lock stock and two smoking barrels" or "Snatch". Use the Zhentarim as the Mafia types, and have multiple story lines converge at the end. His style lends itself well to introducing odd characters, and having lots of action.

Magic is like the explosions, And all the fights.

 

[Ed_Laprade]

What would make a good D&D movie? Darned if I know. Some people loved, and some hated, each of the previous movies we got. So I expect that the same will be true with the new one, regardless of what they do. But it does need to be successful if we want to see any more, at least any time soon.

There is, however, one thing that MUST be in the movie, or I won't bother to go. A cleric that actually heals party members, instead of getting killed in the first fight!

 

[MadPuppy]

I'd make it a soft sequel to the '80s D&D cartoon.

No. Really.

I'd have a group of 20 somethings pulled from our world into "the world of Dungeons and Dragons" where they find four magic items. Likely a sword, wand, holy symbol, and dagger to fit the four iconic character roles (and not overlap with the existing items). This works because magic items allow the "heroes" to be badasses despite having no skill. So a sword that cuts anything, a wand that cast spells, a holy symbol that heals, and a dagger that returns when thrown even the playing field between the everymen protagonists and all the monsters they fight.
The characters should likely find some local (an elf maybe?) to explain the world and plot as they stumble into adventure, while trying to find their way home. Throw in a nice mix of D&D monsters and classic beasts, a simple dungeon crawl, and generic quest. Volia.

The advantage of this would be the "metaphor" for the game, with regular people entering a fantasy world where they can be heroes. It also sidesteps the generic nature of the game worlds, which are advantageous for the game (hitting all the tropes) but would make a movie seem, well, cliche. It provides a hook to separate the D&D movie from all the more generic fantasy movies, which have the advantage of being based on a book or other property with a firm story and known characters.
Plus, it would enable the protagonists to make pop culture references and crack wise despite the serious trouble they're in. Which feels a lot like how the game plays.
It'd almost be advantageous to have the plot be generic. "Gather ye the seven parts of the rod of wonder. Then ye may use it to open the portal to get home. Keep them away from the forces of darkness." Just so the protagonists can lampshade the plot. "But, y'know, what if we throw the parts in the ocean? Or in a really, really deep hole?" And, of course, one of the people sending the heroes on the quest turns out to be the villain and betrays the party. Which, of course, the heroes knew and anticipated. "Oh come on: you're bald, dressed in all black, and have a goatee. You might as well have cackled maniacally."

I'd also slip in a reference to the original cartoon series, suggesting the fate of the old heroes. Likely with the new heroes' mentor revealing himself to be from the real world, but having chosen to stay behind and be a hero. Which, of course, the new group would do as well, opting to remain and be heroes and get home "someday". Because sequels.
And since we're fanwanking already, lets throw in a "lost" episode of the cartoon as a bonus feature on the DVD. Although, I imagine the rights to that are a hellish muddle.

YUK, just yuk.
This sounds like a movie that doesn't take itself seriously......
Not a fan of this type of way to go, too much humor.....

 

[bogmad]

The danger of showing the ttrpg mixed with the PCs is the shadow of Mazes and Monsters...

Yeah, please don't put in a meta "kids around the table" plot. They've gone too campy and failed before to try and pull off The Lego Movie with this one.

Also, they're selling the brand with this, not the ttrpg. They keep saying they want to make it all about stories, and that works for me.
You better believe that if we have a movie they're probably working on one of those behind the scenes not-to-be-revealed-til-it's-ready storylines to go cross media with video game and tabletop support in addition to the movie. I don't think we'll be getting any Carlos the Dwarf played by one of the cool kids.

Even if they make some changes to the movie where the Realms are a little "off-Cannon" you bet there'll be tie ins, but the game is just another medium for telling stories, not a story itself.