You know, I wonder what grapple check you’d have to roll to avoid getting hooked… on a feeling.
Speaking to Collider at DICE 2016, producer Roy Lee offered a brief update on Warner Bros. newest attempt to bring the venerable tabletop RPG series Dungeons & Dragons to the big screen — some obvious things were confirmed, like the fact that it’s aiming to be an ensemble movie (after all, D&D is all about parties of heroes!), and that Warner Bros. see its potential to become a sprawling franchise for the company. But the most interesting quotable came from Lee discussing the movie’s planned tone:
This new Dungeons & Dragons will be a Guardians of the Galaxy-tone movie in a Tolkien-like universe. Because when you think of all the Hobbit movies and The Lord of the Rings, they have an earnestness to them, and to see something fun, a Raiders romp inside that world, I feel is something the audience has not seen before.
It sounds crazy at first — and honestly, kind of risky, just as Guardians was for the relatively serious world of the Marvel movies — but when you think about it, Lee’s right. We don’t have a lot of big screen fantasy as it is in the post-Lord of the Rings world, and what we do have coming up, like Warcraft, is taking itself very seriously. There’s definitely room for a light-hearted, slightly goofy fantasy adventure movie.
And not to mention, some of the best parts of playing D&D are the moments when hilarious and wild things happen to your party, accidentally or otherwise. Or when players come up with a creative, silly way to solve a serious problem. The setting totally lends itself to a movie about a band of misfits coming together on a quest for gold, glory and/or Kobold hides.
Maybe they shouldn’t try to borrow Guardians of the Galaxy‘s soundtrack though. That might be a bit too far.
[Collider]
Originally posted on Gizmodo.
Comments
16 responses to “The New Dungeons & Dragons Movie Wants To Be Guardians Of The Galaxy Meets Tolkien”
I guess a modern Princess Bride would be your best case scenario. I don’t think the odds are exactly favourable of them getting the tone right, but I’d be so very down for that. The Pirates movies might make more sense as a starting point.
Do the whole thing like a crime movie with the whole fast talking intro. you know the ones – voiceover monologue of a character maybe a rogue, talking through rapid fire scenes over time setting up the initial story. maybe a journey through some fantasy cities underworld which results in a new job to undertake.
then a long caper, ensemble cast, with twists and turns, backstabs. Something like Goodfellas plus The Usual Suspects plus Oceans 11 plus swords and dragons. And make it sharp and witty instead of more slapstick. Less stupid heroic bravery (Lawful Good) and world saving, and more variety of alignment and conflict between characters. Lots and lots of things going wrong. Changes of fortune. Maybe in the end the one character who didn’t want the prize ends up with it, Office Space style. Try to take the story in unexpected directions and explore the absurd comedy in the setting.
That’s my brief, someone go write a script.
They could call it Lock, Stock and Two Quivering Arrows.
Quivering. Arrows. I see what you did there…
What could be interesting is a very meta take on the IP. Think jumanji or zathura where folks inadvertently find themselves inside the world of dnd. Would allow for some 4th wall breaking humour, allow for a narrator (perhaps wil wheaton) to interact with the audience watching as well as the cast playing out his story, think tiny tinas assault on dragon keep.
Just cast the team from Critical Role.
*double post*
I for some reason loved that D&D Cartoon that involved people getting trapped in the D&D world via a Roller Coaster.
Haha, yes! I loved that cartoon as a kid.
They still haven’t mastered video game movies, decent movies based on tabletop games are even further from reach.
D&D is a game about the Narrative and the story, so it’s got a better chance than Battleship ever had. It also has quite a few decent novels written about it which could be adapted.
I’m not so sure about this idea. I mean, someone thought ‘Your Highness’ (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1240982/) was a good idea at some point.
Combining Nexi’s idea with the old D&D Cartoon it’s simple we cast Wil Wheaton, Kevin Smith, Vin Diesal and Felicity Day as the players, you have Peter Dinklage as the Dungeon Master character and you cast Nathan Fillion as the Villain. I don’t know if it would be good but it would certainly be seen.
I always thought a D&D movie focussing on the party synchronicity required to beat some of the hardest dungeons would be amazing. Get that shit down to an art and you’re like a medieval SWAT Team.
Dragonlance with proper budget would have made a great series of movies, but unfortunately like everything D&D they never throw in the budget it needs to not suck. I’ll pass.
The first movie was bad enough. They went downhill from there until the hit basically a movie worse than something Ewe Bolls would have pooped out. I don’t hold out much hope for this movie.
that was a bad movie, but Marlon Wayans’ portrayal of the thief character was funny, just pure kleptomaniac stealing everything in sight I found amusing.