UPDATE: Screen Rant has confirmed the below Dungeons & Dragons movie synopsis is not accurate. The original article remains below.
The official synopsis for Paramount Pictures' film reboot of the Dungeons & Dragons series has been revealed, teasing the star-studded fantasy adventure to come. The film is based on the iconic role-playing tabletop game of the same name, sometimes better known as D&D, which began in 1974 and was designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson. The ensemble cast will include Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Justice Smith, Regé-Jean Page, Hugh Grant, Chloe Coleman, Jason Wong, and Sophia Lillis.
An attempt at adapting Dungeons & Dragons for the big screen first came in 2000 after nearly two decades of development, but it was a major critical and commercial failure. Despite this, a made-for-TV sequel and direct-to-video threequel were produced, both of which were similarly panned and caused the live-action IP to go dormant. Warner Bros. and original director/producer Courtney Solomon originally teamed up to produce a new adaptation in early 2013, but it was eventually shifted to Paramount after four years spent in development. After multiple directors and writers came and went, the project finally got underway with Game Night duo Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley writing and directing.
As revealed on the U.S. Copyright Office website, the synopsis for the Dungeons & Dragons film takes players into the fantasy world of the tabletop game. The first plot details also offer fans the first insight as to the various game classes and factions set to be on display in the film, including the Harpers. The full synopsis reads as follows:
An ex-Harper turned thief escapes from prison with his partner, a female barbarian, and reunites with a no-talent wizard and a druid new to their team in an effort to rob the cheating conman who stole all their loot from the heist that landed them behind bars, and used it to install himself as the Lord of Neverwinter. Only the traitor is allied with a powerful Red Wizard who has something far more sinister in store. Being directed by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley, and starring Chris Pine and Michelle Rodriguez.
D&D is one of the trickier properties out there to adapt for film, given that aside from some story packs, the game is generally built around a player having free reign on a narrative and the rest of the group playing through with characters and items from the world. Though the first film attempt included some elements from the tabletop games, it took a far looser and more generic approach to adapting the game, which failed to resonate with general viewers or longtime fans of the series. The official synopsis may not give fans the details they're looking for of who is playing which character class and faction, but it does at least indicate a far richer use of the fantasy world than the generic epics the previous adaptations sought to create.
The Italian Job-like setup for the film's plot feels a far better way of introducing audiences to the atmosphere and nature of Dungeons & Dragons that could leave room for a bigger and bolder sequel should the film be successful. With production only having just begun on the film, there's still a ways to go before fans are likely to see any looks at what's to come from it. In the meantime, while players are staying home during the ongoing pandemic, now's as good a time as any for newcomers to look into joining the D&D hype train before the film's arrival in 2023.
Source: U.S. Copyright Office
