Although it was reported last week that Warner Bros. had plans to reboot Dungeons & Dragons as a film franchise, The Hollywood Reporter now brings word that Hasbro is keen on countering the studio’s saving throw, arguing that WB does not have the legal grounds to develop a new film.
First adapted for the small screen as an animated television series in 1983, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s iconic role playing was turned into a feature film in 2000 with a live-action version directed by Courtney Solomon. The film was neither a critical nor financial success, but it did lead to a telefilm sequel with 2005’s Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God and a direct-to-DVD followup with Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness in 2012.
The new film is planned to work from a script by Wrath of the Titans scribe David Leslie Johnson. His screenplay is said to have started its existence as an adaptation of Gygax and Jeff Perren’s Chainmail, a 1971 game that preceded D&D. With the rights to the more famous game now at Warner, the script is being rewritten to encompass the broader and more well-known fantasy universe. Whether it ultimately makes it to the big screen is now for the dungeon master judge to decide.
