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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4441 Posts |
 Posted - 08 May 2013 : 02:46:51
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Well, the title says it all. Here's the link:
Warner Bros. Aquires Rights to make D&D movie
I can only hope with every fiber in my being that it'll succeed. That it'll fall in the footsteps of great fantasy movies like Lord ot the Rings and the Hobbit. I only see problems because both of those are iconic and people already know the story. D&D, by itself, is a mish-mash of cultural and individual identity that doesn't really have a "CORE" plot (which was the original D&D movie main flaw amongst others).
We'll need to connect with these people in a personal way to have any success and the tropes played will need to be easy enough for people who don't play D&D to follow.
It's a large task but lets hope WB is up for the challenge.
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 03:15:36
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| Well it appears they have rights to make one movie. Indeed it will be interesting in hearing and maybe seeing what they produce. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 04:11:45
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| So you want a movie likely based on a D&D campaign setting with enough history and background to graft a story so it can succeed. Like a Forgotten Realms movie... Or do you fail that movie failing your standards. |
Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4441 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 05:02:10
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quote:
Originally posted by Foxhelm
So you want a movie likely based on a D&D campaign setting with enough history and background to graft a story so it can succeed. Like a Forgotten Realms movie... Or do you fail that movie failing your standards.
A Forgotten Realms movie would be........I dunno, but I'd probably say bad. I'd love to say "yes, please!" but I'm a FR fan. And the problem I see with making a FR movie is two-fold. First you have to connect with your audience, which is hard for a Fantasy movie to do becuase every person has their own idea of what Fantasy is and even though the building blocks are there via Tolkien and the Lord of the Rings/Hobbit movies, I think many people feel that sort of Fantasy is specific in that universe and not easily portable to other forms of fiction. Look at how bad other Fantasy movies did at the Box-Office in wake of LotR such as Eragon and Dungeons Siege: In the Name of the King. All were pretty bad so far as reception goes. The audience wants to connect with the characters and the story but it's hard starting from scratch and filling that void in a movie might take time.
The second problem is the fans themselves. Lets face it, most FR fans are hyper-critical of anything that has the name Forgotten Realms on it. People put it to a litmus test to verify if it is deserving of the FR-Logo and many such things fail in the fandom eye regardless of who produced it or put the name on it. A director/writer of a possible FR movie might not go to the lengths to perserve Canon and thus, make multiple mistakes that any lay-person would miss completely yet a Fan would scrunch up their face and scream "No No No NO!!" about. I saw this with Avatar: The Last Airbender movie. As someon who's watched the whole series multiple times, when I saw the movie I was horribly disappointed yet my friend like it. I pointed out things that were just flat-out wrong but he didn't see them because he never watched the shows. This is the type of scrutiny that a FR movie will have to deal with.
Were it me I wouldn't involve Gods (except in reference), Demons, Devils, Angels, Vampires, Werewolves, overly-powerful Necromancers, powerful artifacts, TONS of Dragons (the first movie is a good illustration of why), OR random names from D&D's history thrown in like Iuz, Demogorgon, Mordenkainen, Melf, etc. in the plot at all. It will just confuse people to no end no matter how much a D&D Fan would like to see the shameless name plug.
The movie would, IMO, have to be FAR more basic in principal. Perhaps a couple of village youths who are faced with a local problem be it Kobolds, Orcs, Goblins, etc. that turns into a grand scale adventure by which normal people view the world. I don't really want SUPER-MAGIC with walls of iron, fireballs galore, and Barbarians knocking down buildings with their titanic strength. To me, that would come off as a Fantasy-stylized Avengers move that would put people off. |
Edited by - Diffan on 08 May 2013 05:06:22 |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 07:59:48
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I agree with Diffan, only I don't think what Forgotten Realms-fans would think of the movie would matter that much. I'd like to see a series of Forgotten Realms movies myself, but it would definitely have to stay close to Ed Greenwood's vision and not go the route of the, frankly, horrible D&D movies already released, each worse than the one before.
It would need to focus on characters (see Game of Thrones), great locales (see The Lord of the Rings), use CGI sparingly, spend lavishly to get authentic-looking armor/clothing (see Game of Thrones/The Lord of the Rings) and finally it would need good pacing, great actors (not the bottom-of-the-bin actors used in the D&D movies), someone to direct with a good understanding of the Realms, a casting director with an eye for people who could look their parts, and of course a decent plot that both keeps the viewer interested and gives glimpses of the Realms as a setting on its own unlike Middle-earth, Hyboria, Westeros and the other gazillion fantasy worlds out there.
In other words, it would take A LOT to have an artistically sound Realms movies, but it COULD be done. Maybe.
Personally I would pay to see a Realms movie if the trailer showed some of the elements above to be present and correct. Could be about anything really, even a McGuffin. Maybe a story about a family being assaulted and sold into slavery in Thay, with the story being about getting out of Thay years later...or a story about the Harpers...I don't know. It wouldn't need to be a world-shattering event, just a story from a corner of the Realms. |
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Caladan Brood
Senior Scribe
Norway
410 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 08:04:34
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| And now I'm thinking too much about a Realms movie, dammit. I'm imagining the film opening with a map of the Realms with the camera moving across it, with Elminster's voice-over giving the viewer a first introduction to Faerûn :) Sounds samey to LOTR I know, but the images it conjures up in my mind are comforting, I would like to see something like this - but not followed by a scene where we see Elminster knock on someone's door in Shadowdale and ask them to go on a quest, heh. Maybe Elminster's introductory dialogue could end with something like "Yet, there is more to Faerûn than what the map shows. Far below the surface lands, there is...the Underdark." Fade to black, then fade in to show dark tunnels and passages, things moving in the darkness, before we see, eh, Menzoberranzan perhaps? And then the movie could be about Lolth's minions deciding to attack the surface or whatever. I'll pay! |
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xaeyruudh
Master of Realmslore
USA
1853 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 08:57:32
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Hrm. Cautiously optimistic, but the linked article sounds like... well, like it was written by a guy who's never played D&D, for people who've never played D&D. Hopefully the actors and director will have more positive tabletop gaming experiences under their belt before getting to work on the movie than the article's author had before writing.
If an article describing the movie were to be written for role-playing fans, I would hope it would address these concerns...
1. You can either make a movie for D&D players (containing primarily references that players will understand) or you can make a movie for everyone (with zero reliance on background knowledge of D&D). If you make a movie for D&D players, you risk having too small of an audience to pay for the big ooh-ahh fx and cgi stuff. Given the competition (Lord of the Rings, Avatar, Harry Potter, every other fantasy movie that anyone has ever liked) failing to deliver the ooh-ahh will not bode well for the success of the movie. So it needs to appeal to everyone, because people who don't play D&D won't generally go out of their way to see D&D movies. So... in a way, calling this a D&D movie is kinda bad judgment, because it's reducing the size of the audience.
2. You can either use a developed D&D setting for the movie (the Realms, Eberron, Greyhawk, or dare we hope that the words "rebooting the franchise" might involve something older like Mystara?) or you don't use a specific setting... which effectively means creating a new one. Either one of these can work, but the key is to avoid relying on viewer knowledge of the setting. The Harry Potter movies got away with neglecting to talk about a lot of aspects of the kids' lives because the story is set on a slightly tweaked Earth. Other than magic, we know exactly what their lives were like, so it doesn't need to be discussed. In a D&D movie, that's no longer true. I mean yea, the characters are basically human (unless they're not) but the movie world is tweaked more than just a little bit. Particularly if you're in the 4e Realms, where the Spellplague has created major disruptions in potentially every single aspect of life.
3. What's your plan for including a director of the 2000 D&D movie on your team, while admitting that movie didn't do well? That seems a bit like sticking your foot in your mouth and swallowing. I get that producing is different from directing, and we don't know how much input the producers will have, and personally I didn't watch the 2000 movie so maybe their directing was awesome. I'm just saying that bringing up the connection and leaving it at "...did not do well" is probably not a good way to drum up interest in your new movie.
tl;dr Why are you bringing up D&D or Chainmail? Particularly when you let a guy who's never played write the announcement? Seriously, just make an awesome movie, and let the gamers draw the parallels between the movie and game settings. Meanwhile the general public is banging on the box office windows demanding that you take their money, unaware that the movie has anything to do with D&D. Relying on the connection to D&D to sell tickets is a recipe for a devoted but small turnout and ultimately another failed D&D movie.
Anyway, I have high hopes, like everyone else here. And I agree that there's a lot of potential for a Realms movie, and I'd like to see that, but in order to make enough money to be everything it needs to be I think it would have to be appealing to an audience that is much larger than just Realms fans. It would need to be another Avatar or another Lord of the Rings. Those movies were of general interest because they didn't claim to be based on anything except novels which are accessible to everyone without a background in gaming. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 12:21:17
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Hmm. Is it too much to ask that they make a Realms movie instead? D&D is too broad. I disagree with Diffan and Caladan. We Realms fans may be overly critical when it comes to everything that has an FR logo in it, but it’s, well, too pessimistic to say we’d better not see an FR film because of the high(?) probability that we would end up disliking it. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 14:02:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
Look at how bad other Fantasy movies did at the Box-Office in wake of LotR such as Eragon and Dungeons Siege: In the Name of the King. All were pretty bad so far as reception goes. The audience wants to connect with the characters and the story but it's hard starting from scratch and filling that void in a movie might take time.
I don't think Eragon's poor showing had anything to do with it being fantasy. I think it had a lot to do with being a lousy movie that was basically a re-skinned Star Wars. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 14:04:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Hmm. Is it too much to ask that they make a Realms movie instead? D&D is too broad. I disagree with Diffan and Caladan. We Realms fans may be overly critical when it comes to everything that has an FR logo in it, but it’s, well, too pessimistic to say we’d better not see an FR film because of the high(?) probability that we would end up disliking it.
If a movie was made just to cater to Realms fans, it'd not make its money back -- even if it was direct to DVD. We are simply too small a portion of the movie-going populace. Even expanding to all active D&D players still doesn't make that large a portion of the movie-going populace. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 08 May 2013 14:05:18 |
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Thauranil
Master of Realmslore
India
1591 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 14:17:36
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| I agree, after all its better to have something rather than nothing. An FR movie that was at least decently made and somewhat entertaining would be enough to make me watch it and drag my family and friends along as well. |
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Dennis
Great Reader
9933 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 15:03:59
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Dennis
Hmm. Is it too much to ask that they make a Realms movie instead? D&D is too broad. I disagree with Diffan and Caladan. We Realms fans may be overly critical when it comes to everything that has an FR logo in it, but it’s, well, too pessimistic to say we’d better not see an FR film because of the high(?) probability that we would end up disliking it.
If a movie was made just to cater to Realms fans, it'd not make its money back -- even if it was direct to DVD. We are simply too small a portion of the movie-going populace. Even expanding to all active D&D players still doesn't make that large a portion of the movie-going populace.
Perhaps. And the thing with producers of fantasy films, they always hesitate to do a film adaptation of something that is remotely famous . . . Which is, of course, understandable. |
Every beginning has an end. |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 16:59:14
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| It may sound obvious, but I think if they can get good writers(perhaps Orci and Kurtzman?), a good director (Peter Jackson or del Toro come to mind, but I am sure there are other good candidates), and a great cast it could be a good or even great movie. One thing the first D&D did great (IMHO), is the Dwarf. I also liked the Elf in the second one. However, in the third movie while it was multiracial, it was really hard to tell the Shadar-kai and Goliath apart from humans. To me they seemed more like pale humans who like to wear black and a dark-skinned larger human, respectively. And while it may seem redundant after the LOTR and the Hobbit, I really think they should stick to "classic" foes like orcs and goblins for the first movie. While I don't like it, mundane people need something they can relate to popular movies in the same genre to want to go and watch it. That means, for most people, you have to be able to say something like "It is like Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit, but..." to get them interested in it. Also something that would seem redundant after the LOTR and the Hobbit but I really want to see: halflings. Halflings are one of my favorite races. And I want to see some in a D&D movie. Anyways, there is my two coppers worth (for now). |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Edited by - Hawkins on 08 May 2013 17:03:29 |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 19:05:13
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I keep saying that they need to start with The Crystal Shard. Realms geeks complain that Bob's stuff doesn't follow the rules or the lore strictly/closely enough, but the up side of that is that his stories are immediately approachable by the masses. His sales prove it.
And whine about emo-Drizzt all you want: Drizzt Do'Urden is an enduring character. People respond to him. That's what you want in a movie.
And the Drizzt series is so long-running and far-reaching, that there is plenty of material there to do an entire film franchise. You've got oodles of stuff to turn into merchandise ($$$!!!). That's what producers and sponsors want to hear.
Shard has a corny loudmouth wizard that you want to watch die. And orcs, goblins, and foul giants abound. You've got one decent dragon scene, as well as a demon who bites it. It's fantasy fodder, but it should make for good summer blockbuster fare.
With "The Icewind Dale Trilogy" in the bag, a movie team would then have enough capital to tackle the challenge of dramatizing Menzoberranzan, the Underdark, infravision, etc. ("The Dark Elf Trilogy"). Warming people up to those ideas with "TIDT" first would make them more intriguing, and more palatable.
And all of the publicity and credits and extra video material on the DVDs should stress how much more there to this world, waiting for people in books, on the web, and in video games. Drizzt should be exploited and used as a gateway drug of the highest order! |
"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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Diffan
Great Reader
USA
4441 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 20:51:03
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| BEAST, I agree with you to a point but the article basically states that the working name (so far) is going to be Chainmail and that it'll probably be a generic D&D movie with a generic world. I'm hoping for a lot of Greyhawk influence like we sorta saw with the second movie, Wrath of the Dragon God which brought up things like Obad-Hai and specific spells and names. But a Drizzt movie would be awesome and doing The Crystal Shard is a great story which I think would move over well to the big screen. Heck, they even have a good storyboard to work with using Deviant Art's Drizzt comics. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 21:34:58
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quote:
Originally posted by Diffan
BEAST, I agree with you to a point but the article basically states that the working name (so far) is going to be Chainmail and that it'll probably be a generic D&D movie with a generic world. I'm hoping for a lot of Greyhawk influence like we sorta saw with the second movie, Wrath of the Dragon God which brought up things like Obad-Hai and specific spells and names.
Gods, I hope that is indeed the case. The last thing I want to see is yet another retelling of an existing story. I'd rather see a new story, with new characters. Every character in the Realms was once new, and we've had hundreds of brand new stories told.
There are not many existing Realms stories I'd want to see adapted to the big screen. There are a lot more that I'd not want to see, and I'd be inclined to skip any movie focusing on those tales. |
Candlekeep Forums Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
I am the Giant Space Hamster of Ill Omen! |
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Dark Wizard
Senior Scribe
USA
830 Posts |
Posted - 08 May 2013 : 23:58:24
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A D&D movie set up at Warner Brothers can't be worst than the three we've already gotten. It might not be better, but at least it will probably receive a budget more feasible for a fantasy movie.
Interesting WB was putting together a Chainmail movie before they decided to buy out the D&D movie rights to attach a more recognizable name to the project. Doesn't give me much hope as it may take after the game and head towards an epic battlefield vibe.
A D&D movie really needs to start small like others have said, heroes getting into adventurous trouble in a ruin or "dungeon", more Mines of Moria and less Helmsdeep or the Fields of Pelennor. The more important part is to have distinct and likeable (or likeably unlikable) characters. Plus cool monsters.
Another thing a D&D movie can bring to the table is portrayal of magic. While we've seen magic before on the silver screen, it's usually not D&D/RPG magic. It's usually more subtle, or lower key (LotR, Narnia, or older movies like Sinbad and 1001 Nights based tales), or spontaneous/innate (deities/divine, ie Olympian gods, Asgardians), or wrapped in the specifics of a franchise (Harry Potter, Star Wars). We really haven't seen the bookish wizard throwing web and fireball too often in cinemas, an archetype that has become a staple in many roleplaying games. |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 09 May 2013 : 04:36:12
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| Meh, for some reason, I'm not too happy about this. And BEAST, once I was eager for a Drizzt movie, but now...not so much. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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coach
Senior Scribe
USA
479 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2013 : 02:35:33
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the BEST chance at a setting that will be recognized, a plot that is good enough for non-D&D fans, likeable characters, and having a trilogy of novels to attach it for additional sales to would be the Dragonlance Chronicles
unfortunately, looks like they only have one movie so not enough time to tell the story |
Bloodstone Lands Sage |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7989 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2013 : 02:54:05
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Och, we live in a world where the best stories are boldly emblazoned with AOL TIME WARNER DISNEY MCDONALDS COCACOLA ETC
I always consider it highly pompous whenever a movie scrolls off lengthy celebrity and production credits before even bothering to present its title. Like I really care about backstage bankrolling or who served coffee to the Driver of the Assistant for Tom Cruise's Assistant. But, hey, money makes movies so I'll save this impotent little rant for another time. |
[/Ayrik] |
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Plaguescarred
Learned Scribe
Canada
190 Posts |
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Hawkins
Great Reader
USA
2131 Posts |
Posted - 15 May 2013 : 17:05:36
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| An interesting turn of events. |
Errant d20 Designer - My Blog (last updated January 06, 2016)
One, two! One, two! And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack!
He left it dead, and with its head
He went galumphing back. --Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking-Glass
"Mmm, not the darkness," Myrin murmured. "Don't cast it there." --Erik Scott de Bie, Shadowbane
* My character sheets (PFRPG, 3.5, and AE versions; not viewable in Internet Explorer)
* Pathfinder Roleplaying Game Reference Document (PFRPG OGL Rules)
* The Hypertext d20 SRD (3.5 OGL Rules)
* 3.5 D&D Archives
My game design work:
* Heroes of the Jade Oath (PFRPG, conversion; Rite Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 1: Cantrips & Orisons (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Compendium Arcanum Volume 2: 1st-Level Spells (PFRPG, designer; d20pfsrd.com Publishing)
* Martial Arts Guidebook (forthcoming) (PFRPG, designer; Rite Publishing)
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Andrekan
Seeker
65 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 17:31:18
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| The "Falconfar Series", would make a great film for Warner. Battling it out with evil game corps and all. They shouldn't take Ed away from his current work on the Realms, though. It would also keep them out of the D&D stuff, maybe... Because this of course has nothing to do with Hasbro, Wizards, or TSR. Ed might like some extra coin. Then again maybe not... |
"Those two talk only of drink, riches, women, brawling, and magic, so ye've a one in five chance..." Quote from "Elminster in Hell" |
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Markustay
Realms Explorer extraordinaire
USA
15724 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 18:25:04
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A D&D movie SHOULD take place on Oerth (Greyhawk setting). It should have Iuz the Old, Vecna, the City of Greyhawk, the Circle of Eight (with all its well-known names), etc. Then it could focus on big explosions and amazing CGI scenes, and be true to its origins. GH was 'story light', from its inception. It was all about Phat Lewtz and killing stuff (and blowing stuff up).
A Forgotten Realms movie should be different, and require a different license. Its more cerebral then mere 'D&D'. The story needs to hold its own without all the makeup and special effects.
I still think a series of movies based on the original RAS books would be well-received, and open the doors for other movies about the Realms.
EDIT:
Just read that last news-blip... very interesting indeed. I have been maintaining since 4e came out that Hasbro doesn't really 'own' anything (in regards to D&D). Whether deliberate or accidental, the 3e team opened the floodgates for a world of arbitration. Funny how a lot of those guys are now working for Paizo. {smirk}
If Hasbro loses this completely, its the beginning of the end... their IP will be picked-apart one lawsuit at a time. |
"I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me" --- Dudley Field Malone
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Edited by - Markustay on 18 May 2013 20:40:28 |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 19:11:33
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quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Just read that last news-blip... very interesting indeed. I have been maintaining since 4e came out that Hasbro doesn't really 'own' anything (in regards to D&D). Whether deliberate or accidental, the 3e team opened the floodgates for a world of arbitration. Funny how a lot of those guys are now working for Paizo. {smirk}
If Hasbro loses this completely, its the beginning of the end... their IP will be picked-apart one lawsuit at a time.
OGL did prevent, as I recall, use of the Trademarks. A Fantasy movie much like D&D clearly could be made though. A movie made following 3rd Edition rules actually might be legal if credit is given to WotC, there again I never saw a movie or novel that fully followed the rules.
Indeed it certainly should be interesting that another company claims rights to make a movie branded D&D. I do believe even if Hasbro loses on D&D, they still have secure FR which was not opening gaming licensed at all. |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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Tyrant
Senior Scribe
USA
586 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 20:25:35
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quote:
Originally posted by Kentinal
quote:
Originally posted by Markustay
Just read that last news-blip... very interesting indeed. I have been maintaining since 4e came out that Hasbro doesn't really 'own' anything (in regards to D&D). Whether deliberate or accidental, the 3e team opened the floodgates for a world of arbitration. Funny how a lot of those guys are now working for Paizo. {smirk}
If Hasbro loses this completely, its the beginning of the end... their IP will be picked-apart one lawsuit at a time.
OGL did prevent, as I recall, use of the Trademarks. A Fantasy movie much like D&D clearly could be made though. A movie made following 3rd Edition rules actually might be legal if credit is given to WotC, there again I never saw a movie or novel that fully followed the rules.
Indeed it certainly should be interesting that another company claims rights to make a movie branded D&D. I do believe even if Hasbro loses on D&D, they still have secure FR which was not opening gaming licensed at all.
From reading the comments after that article I don't believe the OGL has anything to do with this dispute. It sounds like the guy that made the first movie owns the rights to make movies called Dungeons and Dragons with no severance clause. If that is the case, and one past round of arbitration seems to say it is, Hasbro never owned the movie rights to begin with. That is for "Dungeons and Dragons", not any of the worlds within the larger umbrella of the game, if the comments are correct. |
Peace is a lie, there is only passion. Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.
-The Sith Code
Teenage Sith zombies, Tulkh thought-how in the moons of Bogden had it all started? Every so often, the universe must just get bored and decide to really cut loose. -Star Wars: Red Harvest |
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Kentinal
Great Reader
4689 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 20:57:52
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*Nods* TSR sold computer gaming rights, it clearly is possible TSR or WotC sold trademark rights for movies.
Why it is in arbitration instead of court I am not sure, however many contracts do call for arbitration as first option (Some times the sole option). |
"Small beings can have small wisdom," the dragon said. "And small wise beings are better than small fools. Listen: Wisdom is caring for afterwards."
"Caring for afterwards ...? Ker repeated this without understanding.
"After action, afterwards," the dragon said. "Choose the afterwards first, then the action. Fools choose action first."
"Judgement" copyright 2003 by Elizabeth Moon |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 17 May 2013 : 21:05:32
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I once heard that part of the reason why the first D&D movie sucked so badly was that the guy who made it had only bought the rights to make a D&D film for a set period of time (i.e., he optioned it), and he had had difficulty rounding up the money and the talent for most of that time period, so he was forced to rush actual production near the end of the option period.
If he actually had open-ended, non-expiring rights, then what's the real excuse for why it was so poor?!
This sounds like the Harmony Gold corporation claiming that they had the rights to cinematic and TV productions based on the Macross mecha anime property in all countries outside Japan, because of some obscure wording of the contract that allowed HG to adapt Macross as Robotech back in the mid-'80s. What a headache. |
"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2013 : 17:07:01
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BEAST, Mr. Solomon ran out of money, not time, and the company that had posted the bond (think of it as insurance, a guarantee that the film would be finished) had to step in and finish the movie.
The CGA special effects and the most expensive/difficult scenes had been left until last, and so weren't done when the money ran out. They got mostly cut (that is, not made at all) because the bond company just wants to get the movie done most cheaply, not "tell the best story." So what you got (admittedly marred by some acting; e.g. the Jeremy Irons over-the-top evil wizard portrayal) was bits and pieces of a story, knitted together surprisingly well (considering what was missing). That didn't mean it was a particularly strong story, or that the end result was impressive - - I mean it surprised me how coherent the movie is, with so many important scenes just "not there."
Sweetpea (Mr. Solomon's company) actually made all of its milestones (sub-deadlines) during the process, so TSR couldn't quash the movie. It was his first project, and some wise cost-cutting decisions were made from the outset (i.e. film in Prague rather than create a lot of expensive sets), but to say it was "rushed" is to misread what went wrong with the project, IMO.
love,
THO |
Edited by - The Hooded One on 18 May 2013 17:07:53 |
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BEAST
Master of Realmslore
USA
1714 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2013 : 18:11:15
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Thanks, THO!
So does this mean that he was able to secure open-ended, indefinite "rights"/options for all future films? Did TSR just sign away all of their movie rights, like that? |
"'You don't know my history,' he said dryly."
--Drizzt Do'Urden (The Pirate King, Part 1: Chapter 2)
<"Comprehensive Chronology of R.A. Salvatore Forgotten Realms Works"> |
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The Hooded One
Lady Herald of Realmslore
5056 Posts |
Posted - 18 May 2013 : 19:40:06
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Don't quote me on this, because I've never seen the deal, but I have been given to understand that it was originally a sale of "Dungeons & Dragons" movie rights.
Sale, not option, so those rights are indeed "gone," so long as Sweetpea met all of its milestones (failing to meet one would be a "choke point" for killing a movie, though I'm not certain that would recover the rights...and suspect it would result in litigation, either way).
Whereas an option (by far the most usual way of handling movies, these days) is, as you mentioned, a time-limited thing.
Note that this situation does not mean Hasbro can't make, or license out (as they apparently have) rights to a Forgotten Realms movie, or Dragonlance movie, or Eberron movie...which are not "Dungeons & Dragons" movies, per se.
Standard disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, and not even an American - - and even American litigators disagree fervently over matters of U.S. law. That goes double for entertainment/Hollywood law.
love,
THO |
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Warner Bros. Aquires rights to make D&D movie
