As he gears up for the release of the highly-anticipated DC Extended Universe sequel Wonder Woman 1984, Chris Pine is looking even further in the past as he has entered talks to star in Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley’s Dungeons & Dragons, according to Variety.
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It was previously reported that Goosebumps director Rob Lettermen would helm the Dungeons & Dragons movie way back in 2016, but that film never materialized and the project has gone through various iterations including one with Lego Batman director Chris McKay. The new film is being re-written and directed by Goldstein and Daley, the duo behind the Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams-led hit Game Night, on an original draft from Michael Gilion.
Role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons first became popular in 1974, and since then has amassed millions of players and fans worldwide. The hugely popular property has also influenced numerous writers, directors, game designers and other creative professionals throughout its four decades. The feature was first announced in 2013 wherein a rights-dispute began between the studio and Hasbro (parent company of publisher Wizards of the Coast), but the issues were resolved last year and the film remains in-development.
First adapted for the small screen as an animated television series in 1983, Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson’s iconic RPG was turned into a live-action feature film in 2000 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.
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The film, which is being co-produced and co-financed by Hasbro, eOne and Paramount Pictures, with the former handling distribution in the UK and Canada while Paramount distributes everywhere else, is currently slated for a May 27, 2022 release.
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