DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Movie to Be Helmed by GOOSEBUMPS Director Rob Letterman
The Dungeons & Dragons movie being developed by Warner Bros. just took a huge step in a direction that I’m not so sure about. The studio has hired Rob Letterman to direct the film. This is the same guy who brought us films such as Goosebumps, Gulliver’s Travels, Monsters vs. Aliens, and Shark Tale. He doesn’t really have the best track record, as Shark Tale is the best thing that he’s done, and it wasn’t really that good.
It doesn’t help that he is working on the script for the film with David Leslie Jones, who wrote Wrath of the Titans, which was wicked terrible. My confidence and excitement level for this film has dropped dramatically, but who knows, maybe these guys will surprise us.
Producer Roy Lee recently did an interview in which he said the film would have the same tone as Guardians of the Galaxy but will be set in a Middle Earth type world. He said:
“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.”
I’m fine with that concept and I think it could make for a fun film. I’m just not sure if Letterman and Jones are the kind of talent that can properly do it.
Dungeons & Dragons is based on the popular role-playing game created by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson in 1974. According to the report, the story for the film centers on “a warrior and his band of mystical creatures – including a half-dragon and a cunning gnome – as they embark on a dangerous journey to find a mythical treasure.”
There’s no casting for the film yet, but apparently producers are looking to get a Vin Diesel-type actor on board for the lead character. I’m sure they are going after Diesel himself, as the actor is a huge fan of the game and has been playing it for over 20 years. Seems like something he’d like to be a part of if offered a role in it.
Source: The Tracking Board