Saw Moviebob's D&D episode, and I want to take a stab at it

[Deathninja19]

I don't think you can do a film of D and D the lore is so expansive and if you try to cram that in it becomes a bloated confused mess and if you just leave the bare bonens of D and D you have a very generic sword and sorcery film (see the Dungeons and Dragons film).

Also the amount of monsters in the ecosystem makes sense in your head but when you have on screen you can't justify how everything is trying to kill you going asfar as to work together to kill you. How the fuck did those Direbadgers and wolfs get together huh tell me that Mr Screenwriter?

So yeah D&D should be left to the tabletop or in a computer game. But if you wanna adapt Planescape Torment I'm all for it as long as you sell the rights to Tim Burton.

 

[barash]

So yeah guys, it is a bit odd that there hasn't been a decent D&D movie. I'm hoping to change that, so I'm putting together a screenplay. If anyone has any ideas...any at all, for setting, how to pitch this screenplay to, characters, story, opponents, whatever...I'm eager to hear it.

So, what do you say guys?

Read the War of the Spider Queen - then make it. Make it good.

 

[Vault101]

A wacky group of friends are somehow teleported into their game of D&D as their characters!

Starring:
- the nerdy guy who knows the game back to back, and is always either coming up with solutions at the last second, or over-thinking things that can be solved simply (Magician);
- the handsome normal guy, who serves as the moral centre of the party, and a source of leadership and inspiration when times are tough (Paladin/Warrior);
- the quiet, shy, non-violent girl who is consistently useless, and reluctant to use her powers except when the show really needs her to (Priest/Monk/Druid);
- the hot chick who is dubious and dismissive of the whole situation, getting the party into trouble more than she gets them out (Ranger/Rogue);
- the weird guy who serves as the comic relief, and displays a more serious side when we least expect him to, thus enabling the show to develop a more serious tone on demand (Sorceror/Bard).

Follow these characters as they:
- battle monsters!
- take and complete quests!
- find loot and treasure!
- pile on the D&D references and puns!
- develop, both as characters and as people!
- discover the true meaning of friendship!
- solidify stereotypes in the mind of the audience!

Starring Rob Schneider as the narrator!

I think that the Paladin needs to be morally ambiguous. There are few things more amusing than a paladin who, on the surface is good and kind, but eventually you see a very dark side to that character. Yes, I know that paladins are supposed to be good guys who never do anything wrong or mean, but those guys are no fun[footnote]Yeah, I realize that he would then play the role of the straight man, but that's kind of a trope I like to see get messed with.[/footnote]. He doesn't have to be evil, but I think there needs to be a certain cruelty beneath the facade of purity.

this is kind of completley unrelated..but with charachters I dont know, I mean why does "being a good person" always have to =boring I dont think it has to

I guess Im just one of those people who cant stand it when Im suposed to suport a douche as a main charachter (not saying a cant take some moral ambiguity)

 

[Vault101]

I don't think you can do a film of D and D the lore is so expansive and if you try to cram that in it becomes a bloated confused mess and if you just leave the bare bonens of D and D you have a very generic sword and sorcery film (see the Dungeons and Dragons film).

Also the amount of monsters in the ecosystem makes sense in your head but when you have on screen you can't justify how everything is trying to kill you going asfar as to work together to kill you. How the fuck did those Direbadgers and wolfs get together huh tell me that Mr Screenwriter?

So yeah D&D should be left to the tabletop or in a computer game. But if you wanna adapt Planescape Torment I'm all for it as long as you sell the rights to Tim Burton.

you really wanna jhonney depp as the guy from placescape? while in a way it seems perfect..I dont know, I kind of lost faith in the depp/burton thing after alice in wonderland (I mean seriously jhonny depp what did they do to you? put you and the costume department in a tumble dryer and just went with what ever came out)

 

[GrimTuesday]

A wacky group of friends are somehow teleported into their game of D&D as their characters!

Starring:
- the nerdy guy who knows the game back to back, and is always either coming up with solutions at the last second, or over-thinking things that can be solved simply (Magician);
- the handsome normal guy, who serves as the moral centre of the party, and a source of leadership and inspiration when times are tough (Paladin/Warrior);
- the quiet, shy, non-violent girl who is consistently useless, and reluctant to use her powers except when the show really needs her to (Priest/Monk/Druid);
- the hot chick who is dubious and dismissive of the whole situation, getting the party into trouble more than she gets them out (Ranger/Rogue);
- the weird guy who serves as the comic relief, and displays a more serious side when we least expect him to, thus enabling the show to develop a more serious tone on demand (Sorceror/Bard).

Follow these characters as they:
- battle monsters!
- take and complete quests!
- find loot and treasure!
- pile on the D&D references and puns!
- develop, both as characters and as people!
- discover the true meaning of friendship!
- solidify stereotypes in the mind of the audience!

Starring Rob Schneider as the narrator!

I think that the Paladin needs to be morally ambiguous. There are few things more amusing than a paladin who, on the surface is good and kind, but eventually you see a very dark side to that character. Yes, I know that paladins are supposed to be good guys who never do anything wrong or mean, but those guys are no fun[footnote]Yeah, I realize that he would then play the role of the straight man, but that's kind of a trope I like to see get messed with.[/footnote]. He doesn't have to be evil, but I think there needs to be a certain cruelty beneath the facade of purity.

this is kind of completley unrelated..but with charachters I dont know, I mean why does "being a good person" always have to =boring I dont think it has to

I guess Im just one of those people who cant stand it when Im suposed to suport a douche as a main charachter (not saying a cant take some moral ambiguity)

I just like to play with the valiant, morally pure warrior of justice trope that tends to go with paladins, it makes them more complex and gives them an extra demention besides just being Mr. Goodguy.

 

[Deathninja19]

I don't think you can do a film of D and D the lore is so expansive and if you try to cram that in it becomes a bloated confused mess and if you just leave the bare bonens of D and D you have a very generic sword and sorcery film (see the Dungeons and Dragons film).

Also the amount of monsters in the ecosystem makes sense in your head but when you have on screen you can't justify how everything is trying to kill you going asfar as to work together to kill you. How the fuck did those Direbadgers and wolfs get together huh tell me that Mr Screenwriter?

So yeah D&D should be left to the tabletop or in a computer game. But if you wanna adapt Planescape Torment I'm all for it as long as you sell the rights to Tim Burton.

you really wanna jhonney depp as the guy from placescape? while in a way it seems perfect..I dont know, I kind of lost faith in the depp/burton thing after alice in wonderland (I mean seriously jhonny depp what did they do to you? put you and the costume department in a tumble dryer and just went with what ever came out)

I still think Depp is great he just needs to recognise that whismsy doesn't make a good character. But I was thinking more along the lines of it being in a Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride style which Burton produced, that way you could make it as dark as possible and get away with the more outlandish stuff like wearing your intestines as clothing and still get it pushed through the squeamish studio system.

I dunno it could come out terrible but I think it'd be a good fit.

 

[Rblade]

I say no famous characters, that would just make it kind of same old. it can reference to those places and people but I think a new fresh story would be better. And it has to at least have some kind of twist or mystery going on, something that gradually becomes clear during the story. thats how I like to design my campaigns so thats how I would make a D&D movie.

4 'players'
a BBEG but not an obvious one from the start
ending in some kind of big dungeon crawl (it has to be about D&D so you can't not have a dungeon crawl)
but most importantly it would have to avoid clichés like the plague. Fantasy cliché almost imediatly gets cheesy, give characters a very unique personality, not token dwarf and token elf. let your dragon breath lightning. whatever as long as it's not standard or LOTR, I think thats the only way a D&D movie could be a real succes.

and wait a year or 2 because if everything comes together you might compete against 'the Hobbit' and nobody making a fantasy movie wants that

 

[Vault101]

A wacky group of friends are somehow teleported into their game of D&D as their characters!

Starring:
-

Starring Rob Schneider as the narrator!

.

this is kind of completley unrelated..but with charachters I dont know, I mean why does "being a good person" always have to =boring I dont think it has to

I guess Im just one of those people who cant stand it when Im suposed to suport a douche as a main charachter (not saying a cant take some moral ambiguity)

I just like to play with the valiant, morally pure warrior of justice trope that tends to go with paladins, it makes them more complex and gives them an extra demention besides just being Mr. Goodguy.

Fair enough...I think boring charachters are boring charachters regardless of their morality, of coarse theres no denying the apeal of a "bad boy" (as in Han solo to luke sky walker, Jack sparrow to will turner)

I don't think you can do a film of D and D the lore is so expansive and if you try to cram that in it becomes a bloated confused mess and if you just leave the bare bonens of D and D you have a very generic sword and sorcery film (see the Dungeons and Dragons film).
out)

.

what about the guy that did pans labrynth and hellboy?....another sugestion

but yeah burton and depp seem like a good fit

 

[Ranorak]

So yeah guys, it is a bit odd that there hasn't been a decent D&D movie. I'm hoping to change that, so I'm putting together a screenplay. If anyone has any ideas...any at all, for setting, how to pitch this screenplay to, characters, story, opponents, whatever...I'm eager to hear it.

So, what do you say guys?

Love the idea, really do.
As a DnD DM myself, I see the potential in the world and it's setting.

....but...

Good luck getting that licence.

As for a idea.
I had this idea for a while for a campaign, but non of the players like to play as such,
But, what about a story about where the protagonist is more on the evil side?

 

[Deathninja19]

what about the guy that did pans labrynth and hellboy?....another sugestion

but yeah burton and depp seem like a good fit

Shit yeah I love me some Guillermo Del Toro, the only thing that scares me about him is that he takes forever to get around to making fims and tends to get films stuck in pre-production hell (alas poor At the Mountains of Madness). But this is all hypothetical so yeah good choice man.