TheDungeons & Dragonsmovie may have found its director. What started as a tabletop roleplaying game in the 70s is being eyed as a major franchise, with Hasbro and Paramount teaming up to make it happen. With the movie locked in for a 2021 release date, the search for a director is on and now it looks like they have their sights sight onThe LEGO BatmanandNightwingdirectorChris McKay. No deal has been closed yet, but the director is currently in negotiations with the studio. Michael Gilio is set to pen the script.
Hasbro and Paramount extended the scope of their partnership late last year and will be teaming to bring more of the toy company’s properties to the big screen outside of theTransformersmovies, which may be getting a reboot afterBumblebeeis released later this year. Though, that’s a little unclear at the moment. That deal includes a newG.I. JoeandMicronautsmovie in 2020 and aDungeons and Dragonsmovie in 2021. Getting a guy like Chris McKay on board now would give him plenty of time to develop the project and make sure it isn’t rushed.
Very little is known about what direction thisDungeons and Dragonsmovie is heading in, except thatAnsel Elgort was once eyedfor one of the lead roles. And it has been described asLord of the Rings meets Guardians of the Galaxy. Chris McKay’s resume largely speaks to comedy, having directed episodes ofRobot ChickenandMoral Orelbefore making the jump to features withThe LEGO Batman Movie, which was also very comedic in tone. He also hasn’t ever directed a live-action feature, but he’s been working on theNightwingmovie for Warner Bros. for nearly a year. Thepossibilityof him directingDungeons and Dragonsdoes raise some questions about the status of that movie, as Warner Bros. has been shifting things around quite a bit on the DC side of things following the disappointment ofJustice League.
So, willNightwingbe put on ice? Or will Chris McKay directNightwingfirst and then move on toDungeons and Dragons? It’s certainly possible that he could shootNightwingbeforehand, as there’s plenty of time forDungeons and Dragons, which isn’t scheduled to arrive in theaters until June 02, 2025. Even though Warner Bros. hasn’t set a release date forNightwing, it does seem to be one of the DC projects that has actually been coming together and seems like something they actually want to make. We’ll have to see how that all shakes out.
This won’t be the first time thatDungeons and Dragonswas brought to the world of live-action. There was the much-maligned 2000 version, which stars Jeremy Irons. Paramount and Hasbro will want to distance themselves from that version as much as possible. This new movie will also be one of the first projects produced by AllSpark pictures, which will handle the Hasbro properties and hopes to make themselves into a major player in Hollywood. The ultimate goal would be to make a cinematic universe that could truly compete with what Marvel Studios has going on. This news was first reported byVariety.
