Dungeons & Dragons star Regé-Jean Page says the script is perfect for a post-MCU world. Page, who began his acting career in stage productions, made his US debut in the History Channel’s 2016 remake of Roots, and also starred in the 2018 film adaptation of Mortal Engines. More recently he has been known for sending hearts aflutter as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, in Netflix’s hit period drama Bridgerton.
Based on the well-known tabletop role-playing game, the upcoming Dungeons & Dragons reboot began shooting in April this year with Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Regé-Jean Page and Justice Smith. First published in 1974, the original D&D game is widely recognized as the founding father of modern role-playing games and is responsible for inspiring and spawning a countless number of other RPGs down through the years. In 2000 the first Dungeons & Dragons film adaptation starring Jeremy Irons and Marlon Wayans was lambasted by fans, and its dismal box-office performance meant that it failed to make back its original $45 million budget. Nonetheless, it inspired two direct-to-TV and DVD sequels, which also failed to do the franchise any favors.
Now, with Paramount looking to reboot Dungeons & Dragons, Page has promised D&D fans that this new attempt to bring the game’s IP back to the big screen will raise the storytelling bar in a post-MCU world. Speaking with Variety, he is reported as saying that he was immediately drawn to the film’s script, adding “there is nowhere better or bigger to learn new worlds from than ‘D&D”. Admitting that going into production he was not much of a player, he still has some familiarity with the game. He explains:
“I’ve listened to a couple of ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ podcasts in my time. I played a ton of JRPGs [Japanese role-playing games] and basically everything that’s come out of it. I played a ton of ‘Diablo’ as a teenager, so I’m used to the fact that I play a paladin — that’s just what I do, and I know what that means, to a degree. I watched my friends play ‘Baldur’s Gate,’ so I’m like a second-generation ‘Dungeons and Dragoner.’”
Page’s confidence in the film is nothing but good news for millions of Dungeons & Dragons players looking forward to the project. With over 45 years’ worth of development, the D&D brand boasts an impressive amount of source material, which if handled with the due care and understanding it deserves, should practically guarantee a fantasy epic on par with some of the best films and shows in the genre. Given that this latest outing is being helmed by Johnathon Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the film-making duo also responsible for helping to pen Spider-Man: Homecoming for the MCU, fans can probably appreciate Page’s optimism.
Holding the dubious honor of a dismal 10% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the original 2000 Dungeons & Dragons adaptation certainly sets a low bar, despite its talented cast. Moving forward, the hope is this new reinvention of the property finally does the source material justice. In a world where audiences are increasingly being treated to high-budget, blockbuster fantasy film and television, this latest film will certainly have a lot to compete with when it hits theaters in 2023.
Source: Variety
