Warner Bros officially announces Dungeons & Dragons film as lawsuit settles

Back in 2013, a lawsuit held up Hasbro's reboot of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS franchise. With that suit now settled, WB has officially announced they are beginning development of a new film based on the fantasy role-playing game. Deadline did not disclose what the settlement between Sweetpea Entertainment, Hasbro, and WB entailed, but all three parties will be producing the new film.

WB president Greg Silverman released this statement about the new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

“We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen,. This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property.”

Unifying the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS brand under Hasbro means that they have full control of all the properties needed to make the film. No director is currently attached but a spec script has been completed by David Leslie Johnson who wrote THE CONJURING 2 and WRATH OF THE TITANS. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS had previously been a shittastic 2000 film starring Marlon Wayans which was followed by two direct to SyFy movies.

With every studio still trying to replicate the success of Peter Jackson's LORD OF THE RINGS saga, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS represents the best shot aside from Universal's WARCRAFT. With such a deep history tied to the role-playing game and original novels, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS needs to find an entry level plot that will allow fans to enter the intricate universe of dragons, orcs, monsters, and magic. This will really hinge on the director who they are able to bring on. Any suggestions?

Source: Deadline

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Alex Maidy has been a JoBlo.com editor, columnist, and critic since 2012. A Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic and a member of Chicago Indie Critics, Alex has been JoBlo.com's primary TV critic and ran columns including Top Ten and The UnPopular Opinion. When not riling up fans with his hot takes, Alex is an avid reader and aspiring novelist.