Vin Diesel Says He'll Be in a Dungeons & Dragons Movie Only if It's "Very Sacred"

[PatrickJS]

Vin Diesel Says He'll Be in a Dungeons & Dragons Movie Only if It's "Very Sacred"

During a press junket, noted Dungeons & Dragons fan Vin Diesel said he wouldn't appear in any film adaptation that was less than amazing.

A new Dungeons & Dragons movie is coming [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/dungeons-dragons-legal-settlement-paves-812674]; we, the players, just have to live with that. One fan in particular, however, may be able to ensure the upcoming reboot is not embarrassingly terrible.

Vin Diesel has been outspoken for years about his love for the pen & paper role-playing game. He is a great, unofficial mascot for the player base - he is at once proud of his gaming history [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/141684-Vin-Diesel-Given-Epic-Dungeons-Dragon-Birthday-Cake], and confronts the image people have about our hobby. As big action star with a love for the source material, he's a natural pick for the D&D cast.

But it's his love for the game that might keep him away from such a project, if it doesn't do our world justice.

Speaking with Cinema Blend [http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Vin-Diesel-Dungeons-Dragons-Reboot-Here-What-He-Said-88197.html] while promoting upcoming The Last Witch Hunter, Diesel had this to say:

"For me to do something like that, it would have to be so - I would be - they have to think really carefully, because it would have to be amazing." He also added, rather generously, "And the previous attempts of any kind of cinematic D&D film have failed and just haven't been done right."

Apparently, while just hanging out with Frank Miller, the comic artist told him the father of D&D wanted Vin in a film adaptation. "Gary Gygax, before he passed away, said that he wanted me to tell his story."

"So whatever it would be in the world of D&D, it would have to be very sacred. And that's how you get me."

Gygax had been <a href="http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/tabletop/features/14604-Inside-Lost-1980s-Dungeons-Dragons-Movie-Gary-Gygax-Loved
">hoping to get a movie off the ground since long before 2000's Jeremy Irons-starring flop. Maybe, in Diesel, he saw a chance to do things right.

Is Vin setting himself up to be our canary in the coalmine, where the fans can tell if the movie's bad by his lack of presence? Or is this some kind of Machiavellian grab - he has to be in, or else the film loses credibility...

Either way, color me impressed.

Source: Cinema Blend [http://www.cinemablend.com/new/Vin-Diesel-Dungeons-Dragons-Reboot-Here-What-He-Said-88197.html]


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[thebobmaster_v1legacy]

Honestly, I've always liked Vin Deisel as a person. Not just because he is a nerd and proud of it, but because he seems to be somewhat grounded. Whenever I see or hear him in an interview, he always seems to be honest with whatever he says, rather than just reciting what is expected.

 

[dangoball]

You know, if Hollywood just took Drizzt books and made them into films, that would make for a great DnD on the silver screen (half-decent director and cast included). You don't need to have some cliché script going through the archetypes and tropes a 14yo DM would use in his first campaign to give us the DnD sensation, you know?

Edit:
Captcha says "so-so". That's quite lenient of you, Captcha, considering the DnD films we had so far.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Is it REALLY so hard to write a good D&D plot? Just make 4 random interesting awesome characters, group them together, and then just follow them.

The effing thing almost writes itself.

 

[Saltyk]

Is it REALLY so hard to write a good D&D plot? Just make 4 random interesting awesome characters, group them together, and then just follow them.

The effing thing almost writes itself.

I think the problem is the name. There's a bit of a social stigma that largely comes from those stupid "D&D is a gateway to Satanic worship and human sacrifice" scare tactics of the past. Sure, no one with a brain believes that, but it doesn't have to be true to resonate in the social subconscious. D&D is still at best the game that social outcasts play in their grandma's basement to most people.

Trying to make a movie about that is not something many people will care about. Even if it is about Dragons and Wizards, which were so popular in other works. Couple that with the horrible movies, we've had in the past, and the well is practically poisoned already.

How many studios do you think want to put top talent and a budget behind a movie that is likely to fail?

And honestly, it's not that easy to write what you suggest. Not well.

 

[Thunderous Cacophony]

You know, if Hollywood just took Drizzt books and made them into films, that would make for a great DnD on the silver screen (half-decent director and cast included). You don't need to have some cliché script going through the archetypes and tropes a 14yo DM would use in his first campaign to give us the DnD sensation, you know?

You're saying the Drizzt books don't read like a table of 14-year-olds having their first go at D&D?

I mean, I enjoy the Crystal Shard series as much as the next guy, but they are cliche to the hilt, like most D&D games (heck, Forgotten Realms is basically a starter pack of fantasy tropes). Better to take that and run with it than trying to do something 'subversive'.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Is it REALLY so hard to write a good D&D plot? Just make 4 random interesting awesome characters, group them together, and then just follow them.

The effing thing almost writes itself.

I think the problem is the name. There's a bit of a social stigma that largely comes from those stupid "D&D is a gateway to Satanic worship and human sacrifice" scare tactics of the past. Sure, no one with a brain believes that, but it doesn't have to be true to resonate in the social subconscious. D&D is still at best the game that social outcasts play in their grandma's basement to most people.

Trying to make a movie about that is not something many people will care about. Even if it is about Dragons and Wizards, which were so popular in other works. Couple that with the horrible movies, we've had in the past, and the well is practically poisoned already.

How many studios do you think want to put top talent and a budget behind a movie that is likely to fail?

And honestly, it's not that easy to write what you suggest. Not well.

I present to you Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

And Exhibit C:

 

[dangoball]

You know, if Hollywood just took Drizzt books and made them into films, that would make for a great DnD on the silver screen (half-decent director and cast included). You don't need to have some cliché script going through the archetypes and tropes a 14yo DM would use in his first campaign to give us the DnD sensation, you know?

You're saying the Drizzt books don't read like a table of 14-year-olds having their first go at D&D?

I mean, I enjoy the Crystal Shard series as much as the next guy, but they are cliche to the hilt, like most D&D games (heck, Forgotten Realms is basically a starter pack of fantasy tropes). Better to take that and run with it than trying to do something 'subversive'.

Point taken. I'm definitely not going to argue against Forgotten Realms being the greatest legal rip-off of all times, but Drizzt must have at least some merit if the books sold so we- *Twilight*
*eye twitch*

Ok, forget that. I was about to propose Baldur's Gate or Planescape movie, but then we would have another The Game: The Movie, so that's not the way either.

Oh well.

 

[dangoball]

snip

I present to you Exhibits such and such

Pictures not showing. Edit: pictures showing gradually

Chronicles of Narnia would actually be better representation than LotR (having kid protagonists and all), as DnD steals from both (and many more), but remember: those books are high fantasy from writers of excellent quality. Not really the same as making 4 random interesting awesome characters and then following them, wouldn't you say?

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

Rule #1: No Wayans brothers.

Vin Diesel is a rare creature in Hollywood: A true enthusiast with the star-power to push for a quality representation of what he loves. Unfortunately, history is littered with films that were ruined in post-production by companies far more concerned with easy profitability than subject fidelity. If somehow the stars aligned and Diesel could get a studio with integrity to back the project, I'd get excited- but that has about the same odds as me winning the lottery. And I don't play the lottery.

 

[IamLEAM1983]

Is it REALLY so hard to write a good D&D plot? Just make 4 random interesting awesome characters, group them together, and then just follow them.

The effing thing almost writes itself.

I think the problem is the name. There's a bit of a social stigma that largely comes from those stupid "D&D is a gateway to Satanic worship and human sacrifice" scare tactics of the past. Sure, no one with a brain believes that, but it doesn't have to be true to resonate in the social subconscious. D&D is still at best the game that social outcasts play in their grandma's basement to most people.

Trying to make a movie about that is not something many people will care about. Even if it is about Dragons and Wizards, which were so popular in other works. Couple that with the horrible movies, we've had in the past, and the well is practically poisoned already.

How many studios do you think want to put top talent and a budget behind a movie that is likely to fail?

And honestly, it's not that easy to write what you suggest. Not well.

I'd say the stigma's changed, but is still present. Being a D&D fan is less a question of being a closet Satanist now, as it seems to be one of refusing to grow up, of building fictitious worlds where your perceived Peter Pan Syndrome is accepted or otherwise indulged in.

Of course, the people who land these criticisms are hypocrites of the highest order. Spending a few hours rolling polyhedrals around is immature, but watching grown men play Concussion Twister over an oddly-shaped ball isn't?

On top of that, the Lord of the Rings films stand as proof that decent Fantasy flicks usually tend to come with a fairly salty bill. Every other genre more or less lets you scout on location, but in Fantasy's case, either you rack up the big bucks and fly out to Central Europe to find cheap and accessible gilded halls or libraries to pass as your school of wizardry; or you crank out your CGI and set construction budgets to insane levels. Like you said, it's a lot to invest in without any guarantee of tangible returns. We might like to say the world belongs to the geeks, but the fact is that the D&D crowd is still smaller than the droves that keep the Marvel and DC trains fed and rolling.

Considering, I'm crossing my fingers for Marvel's planned Doctor Strange movie. It seems to me like that character could bridge the gap between both genres, allow new fans of the Sorceror Supreme to go looking for other badass spellslingers. From Stephen Strange, it's only a few short leaps to Harry Dresden and from there, to Gandalf the Grey, Elminster or Fizban.

 

[Redryhno]

You know, if Hollywood just took Drizzt books and made them into films, that would make for a great DnD on the silver screen (half-decent director and cast included). You don't need to have some cliché script going through the archetypes and tropes a 14yo DM would use in his first campaign to give us the DnD sensation, you know?

You're saying the Drizzt books don't read like a table of 14-year-olds having their first go at D&D?

I mean, I enjoy the Crystal Shard series as much as the next guy, but they are cliche to the hilt, like most D&D games (heck, Forgotten Realms is basically a starter pack of fantasy tropes). Better to take that and run with it than trying to do something 'subversive'.

Depends on where you start, Crystal Shard Drizzt was never supposed to be more than a supporting character for Wulfgar's main protagonist road, and then Salvatore realized how much he enjoyed writing and thinking up scenarios for him. Not to mention the Thorin callback/psyche out at the end that leads into Streams of Silver would honestly be one of the best scenes to adapt at the moment I think.

If you start with the Homeland series, then you've got a wealth of chances to make it amazing, from costume design to cinematography simply because of Menzoberranzan(like seriously, Narbondel is still one of the greatest things created that has pretty much the most mundane purpose in the universe still), to just how nicely done the outcast storyline is done in that trilogy.

And personally, if given the chance, I'd prefer it if the main actors were largely unknown, if only so that people didn't immediately attribute the actor with the character. Though I could certainly see Vin as Zak, Montolio, or even Jarlaxle(though I think someone more clownish in their mannerisms would work better).

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Chronicles of Narnia would actually be better representation than LotR (having kid protagonists and all), as DnD steals from both (and many more), but remember: those books are high fantasy from writers of excellent quality. Not really the same as making 4 random interesting awesome characters and then following them, wouldn't you say?

Well, sure, but stories are stories. And for that matter, the D&D or Forgotten Realms universe is INCREDIBLY rich in backstory and lore and established characters and deities and etc. So there's not exactly a shortage of material they have to work with here. In fact, Forgotten Realms has some of the coolest stories and characters I've seen in fantasy.

 

[Mikeybb]

There is a man who's nerd credentials are utterly beyond question. If he's in a D&D movie, I'll believe it could be good.

Agreed.
His approval would do wonders for them, his participation would be perfect.

The guy has a passion for D&D.
Remember his birthday cake?

 

[RJ Dalton]

I don't know if Vin Deisel is a good judge of scripts. After all, he was the driving force behind two godawful Riddick movies.

 

[ecoho]

I don't know if Vin Deisel is a good judge of scripts. After all, he was the driving force behind two godawful Riddick movies.

to be fair they arnt near as bad as any of the D&D movies so far..........actually I wouldn't mind a so-so D&D movie just as long as it isn't the horror that was the first.

 

[mysecondlife]

....is this the same guy who starred in Triple X?

I'm pleasantly surprised.

 

[WindKnight]

....is this the same guy who starred in Triple X?

I'm pleasantly surprised.

http://www.dorktower.com/2003/04/09/comics-archive-410/

Probably the best summation of the matter.

 

[The Philistine]

Ok, forget that. I was about to propose Baldur's Gate or Planescape movie, but then we would have another The Game: The Movie, so that's not the way either.

Oh well.

Doesn't help that the books based off Baldur's Gate are terrible.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Is it REALLY so hard to write a good D&D plot? Just make 4 random interesting awesome characters, group them together, and then just follow them.

The effing thing almost writes itself.

There better be at least one murderhobo, you know, for authenticity sake.

You also need to give then some grand quest that they proceed to get sidetracked from at every turn.