www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_dKWLRJ9IU
I demand the Rock be cast for Hamanu, and that the Jim Henson creature work shop be called in (if only for Dregoth, Nibenay, and the Dray). We could probably fund the thing by promising Vin Diesel a part, and he'd make a good Mul.
If a live action D&D movie cannot meet the same quality as percy jackson, clash of the titans or prince of persia, it shouldn't be made. If an animated D&D movie cannot meet the same quality as the wonder woman cartoon movie or at least be as good as deadspace, it shouldn't be made.
CG might be too much for them to handle. But I'll set the bar low, it needs to be as good as resident evil the CG cartoon movie. I'd rather if it were the same or better quality than appleseed, ex machina or the final mini episode of halo legends.
But that's considering visuals only. When it comes to dialog, I have no hope. D&D dialog will always be as bad as final fantasy advent children's dialog. Which is horrible. I wish we could have a great movie, then again, I wish we could have an R rated warhammer 40k trilogy dealing with chaos. Probably never gonna happen and I'm not gonna hold my breath.
You mean like this:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=E_dKWLRJ9IU
Exactamundo! This is what I'm talking about, a big, brutal, sandy action extravaganza!
...Is anyone working on a screenplay for the Prism Pentad? Who else wants to see a Dark Sun movie? Who do you think should be cast in it?
Why the Prism Pentad? Why not an entirely original story? You could take this movie and attach maybe a single A-lister as the lead or other principal character, as the studio would want to "sell" the film to audiences. And, I mean REAL actors, not action stars. Or, you could use several B-listers in combination with other unknown, but seriously talented actors.
You would then make this a story about a character's life and his journey in this harsh world, with some action in it. Not an action movie with a character in it.
You would go wrong with this movie if you miscast it, under-budgeted it, hired a writer and/or director that are just plain bad, or trying to use this as a stepping stone project as opposed to someone who's really passionate about the world and the project as a whole, tried to make it an action movie, installed a MacGuffin plot-device, and subsituting special effects for character and story.
Lucas I'm looking at you.
I think trying to adapt those five novels into a feature film has a very unique set of problems. Starting out you would only have the single movie to work with, no guarantees of sequels and the like. So, crushing five novels into a one film is a bad foot on which to start.
Also, the above couple with fidelity to said novels handcuffs the screenwriter(s) who may or may not "get it" in the first place. This is not to say adaptations can't be done well because obviously they can (see Lord of the Rings), but I believe a fresh approach/clean slate would work best for any feature.
Not to mention that the novels make good novels, not necessarily a good movie. Not disparaging Mr. Denning and his work at all. I'm simply saying that there are areas that may lack the emotional punch a grand film like this would need (see Braveheart and Gladiator).
You want a "real" film here. One that isn't overdone and feels grounded even to non-fans. I mean, if you had never heard about or seen Batman and I described a guy running around in tights and a bat costume fighting crime, you'd think it was a joke or comedy at least. But, Batman Begins and Dark Knight are some damn good movies and not once do you say, "Hah. He's got a bat costume on." You believe it on screen. A DnD movie would need to do the same.
This post is a helluva lot longer than I intended so I'm gonna skip my other thought's for much delayed brevity's sake. And, I refuse to proofread it either. Take that!
While I'd love to see a darksun movie, I'm completely against more D&D movies. The quality is always below bargin bin. They might do a good job if they kept it animation, but I hold little hope for that and no hope for live action D&D movies.
If a live action D&D movie cannot meet the same quality as percy jackson, clash of the titans or prince of persia, it shouldn't be made. If an animated D&D movie cannot meet the same quality as the wonder woman cartoon movie or at least be as good as deadspace, it shouldn't be made.
CG might be too much for them to handle. But I'll set the bar low, it needs to be as good as resident evil the CG cartoon movie. I'd rather if it were the same or better quality than appleseed, ex machina or the final mini episode of halo legends.
But that's considering visuals only. When it comes to dialog, I have no hope. D&D dialog will always be as bad as final fantasy advent children's dialog. Which is horrible. I wish we could have a great movie, then again, I wish we could have an R rated warhammer 40k trilogy dealing with chaos. Probably never gonna happen and I'm not gonna hold my breath.
I actually think Dark Sun plays into the above favorably. Athas ISN'T a traditional fantasy world. It is actually very different indeed. The name "Dungeons and Dragons" need never be placed on the film, save in the closing credits. A well-done script of the first book of the Pentad could make a compelling film that is totally unlike most every fantasy film out there.
Moreover, with the brutal nature of Athas, a Dark Sun movie not using the Dungeons and Dragons name in the title could actually push the boundaries, and go for an R-rated, blood-spattered representation, methinks. A bloody, fantastical, stark desert tale of gladiatorial combat, slavery, mental powers and the occasional magic drawing power from life, with Sadira riding that fine line between preserving and defiling, simply wouldn't be like films that have come before.
Not that I'm saying it has a chance in hell of happening, mind you. But I disagree with the premise that a Dark Sun live action film would have to be low-budget and bad. A well-crafted script, that keeps the time and pacing that Hollywood oh so loves for their big budget films, along with compelling dialogue, seems to me to be one that is entirely sellable to a major studio, meaning a great budget and full CGI suite behind it, along with potential good actors (not action stars, actual actors).
...I'm completely against more D&D movies. The quality is always below bargin bin. They might do a good job if they kept it animation...
Then you didn't see the animated Dragonlance movie, did you? (By which I'm pointing out it was just as bad as the live action movies.)
I'd rather have my hair set on fire while listening to nails on a chalk board and have my teeth pulled than watch the live action D&D movies. Please, pull my finger nails off, just don't make me watch those torture films!
Personally, I think something done on the scale of the more recent Dune miniseries would be feasable. I found it well done and the effects were acceptable. Series such as Rome and the current Spartacus show that things like this can be done. I think if they concentrated on showing off the concept of Dark Sun and downplayed that it is D&D it could do well. Plenty of potential there.
Yep. I feel the same way about DnD movies in general. There is plenty of potential. If the settings weren't great backdrops for compelling stories, likely none of us would be playing. Fantasy films are even widely accepted, now, thanks to LotR and like successes. I agree the DnD label might not be the best choice in marketing, and should likely be downplayed.
As long as they keep doing low-budget, straight to SyFy/DVD films, we'll never know. I'd love to see a serious Dark Sun film along the lines of those you mentioned. Dark Sun, with it's lower magic levels, might even be the easiest of the settings to market and affordably produce. Sadly, I doubt we'll ever see such a thing.
The D&D universe is a gathering of Cliché!
For Dark Sun, I'd rather watch/re-watch good television shows like SPARTACUS B&S, ROME, HERC/XENA or movies like CONAN, GLADIATOR, MAD MAX, PLANET OF APES, etc...
Anyway, we won't see a pure D&D movie in a long time after all the flops of recent history (D&D 1-2, Scourge of Worlds and Dragonlance) They all loosed money!
scouge of worlds? never heard of it, not sure if i should give it a chance.
A choose your own path animated movie. Nuff said.
scouge of worlds? never heard of it, not sure if i should give it a chance.
A choose your own path animated movie. Nuff said.
Ah.
The only good think with the DL movie was the soundtrack.
Scourge was not so bad but it cost a lot to wizards and it didn't pay off. It is sad because the will to make movies was there in the last 10 years but failure after failure is not what this game need to go further.