Beloved tabletop role-playing gameDungeons & Dragonsis being adapted into a theatrical filmstarring Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez, set to premiere in 2023. The franchise has been the subject of a trilogy of films from 2000 to 2012, as well as a Saturday morning cartoon in 1983, but it exists in a massively different cultural context in the modern day.
The upcomingDungeons & Dragonsmovie has beenplagued by production difficultiesand legal battles over the past several years of its production, but the current status seems to place its release in 2023. More than two decades after the previousD&Dfilm hit theaters, and more than long enough for the less than glowing opinion of the film to settle in.
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The trilogy of existingD&Dfilms are not fondly remembered, the first was the only one to be released theatrically and it currently has a scathing 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The second film, subtitledWrath Of The DragonGod, was slightly better received and vastly more reverent of the source material, going so far as to create character sheets for the main characters. This sequel was made for andreleased directly to TV, reducing its audience and memorability. The final entry in the trilogy,The Book Of Vile Darkness, released straight to DVD, exclusively in the United Kingdom. These films are generally either forgotten or despised amongst the community, and not well known outside of it.
The other significant adaptation of the game was the 1983 cartoon series, which ran for three seasons. The show centered around a group of children who, by way of roller coaster, find themselves transported into a tabletop-inspired fantasy world where they must face monsters at the behest of Dungeon Master. The kids' main foe is an evil wizard named Venger, butD&Dfans will recognize their secondary nemesis, a comically weakened version of the5-headed dragon goddess Tiamat. By online ratings alone, this is by far the most beloved adaptation ofDungeons & Dragons, though it is routinely a subject of mockery by fans.
Dungeons & Dragonswas first released in 1974, over the decades since it has undergone several new additions and total overhauls in the form of new editions. When the cartoon was airing, the most recent release was the first Dungeon Masters Guide. The first film released in the same year asD&D3rd edition, the third was released the year before5th edition, the current standard. 5th edition, usually referred to as 5e, was a huge moment for the franchise which saw massive gains in popularity, changing the place of the game in the cultural zeitgeist.
The status ofD&Dand of tabletop gaming, in general, has shifted from an extremely niche nerd hobby toward a common social hobby enjoyed by millions. This is partially a result of the general shift towards traditionally nerdy media, such as the mass popularity of comic book movies or the gradual rise of video games, but D&D has been a unique winner of this particular movement.
Right now, twobeloved podcasts wherein hosts playD&D5Eare in the process of being adapted into animated series by two different studios.The Adventure Zoneis currently in development for NBC’s Peacock streaming service andCritical Role, which was picked up for two seasons by Amazon after a monstrously successful Kickstarter campaign. The idea of audio dramas in which actors playD&Dreaching a level of popularity where they can successfully fund full animated series would have been beyond the wildest dreams ofD&Dfans of the year 2000.
D&Dis a subject of well-received series likeStranger Things, which based much of its first season around the game. Celebrities have made a habit of coming out to talk about their fandom for tabletop gaming, fromDaredevilstar Deborah Ann Woll to well-known character actor Joe Manganiello to Vin Diesel, who helmedThe Last Witch Hunter, a movie largely based on his oldD&Dcharacter. Famous people chat about D&D on talk shows,brands argue about character alignment,D&Dsourcebooks are available in almost any bookstore and the 5e starter kit holds a place of honor amongst board game shelves. Entering this new world could radically change the perspective with which fans view the new film.
The original film adaptationborrows extremely little from the gameit is named after, partially because most of the references would be expected to fall flat to a wide audience. A modern adaptation would have much more to pull from, hundreds of official adventures, thousands of monsters, and set pieces from the countless sourcebooks and extraneous materials. It would also have an easier time trusting its audience to get the references. A faithful adaptation could be a charming celebration of fans favorite hobby, while also being the point of entry for new converts.
One of the problems with adaptingD&Dis the fact that the adventures are inherently different for each group that participates.Every adventuring party has different aspectsof the game that they enjoy, from campaigns laden with role play and social intrigue, to pure strategy games about non-stop action. Aside from scant references, the previous adaptations could have likely changed their names and blended in with hundreds of other fantasy films. With that handicap to the narrative design, this could be the first adaptation to do what all the others refused to do; acknowledge the presence of the game.
Consider the long-beloved classicThe Princess Bride. The narrative structure focuses around the swashbuckling adventures of Westley as he adventures to rescue his true love, set within the framing device of a grandfather reading a story to his grandson. In adapting a novel to screen, the filmmakers made the presence of the novel crucial to the presentation of the film. Shows likeStranger Thingshave demonstrated that characters playingD&Dcan be dramatic and engaging, films likeThe Princess Bridehave laid out how centering a story in an in-universe fiction can be an excellent structure andactual play podcasts likeCritical Rolehave made audiences fall in love with the game.
The upcoming D&D film could establish from the outset that the story is a role playing game, or slowly hint at the prospect, unveiling it in the third act as a world-shaking twist. 2014’sThe Lego Moviecould be the perfect influence, turning on a dime in the third act to reveal the real world, while brilliantly examining the cultural place of the medium would be a revelation in the world ofD&D.
Given the challenges of the pastD&Dadaptations, the upcoming film has a great history to learn from. The new cultural high point ofD&D’s relevance provides an opportunity to create something powerful, if the filmmakers arewilling to try something weird. Fans will have to wait to 2023 to see what this new team can create with the iconic world ofDungeons & Dragons.
