The D&D Movie Will Be Written And Directed By The Spider-Man Homecoming Duo
The directors behind Vacation, who also wrote Spider-Man: Homecoming are taking on the Dungeons and Dragons movie, according to the latest news.
Directors Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have been working together since at least 2001. The pair have collectively left a trail of comedic films behind them, having written or directed titles like: Horrible Bosses, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2, the Incredible Burt Wonderstone, and of course Spider-Man: Homecoming. Now, according to a recent tweet from Jonathan Goldstein, he and Daley will be co-directing as well as writing the new D&D movie, according to a recent post by Goldstein that seems to confirm not only will the pair be directing, they’ll also be writing the script.
This just in… #dnd pic.twitter.com/gBVNhwSi8h
— Jonathan Goldstein 🐉 (@JM_Goldstein) January 21, 2020
This is a welcome bit of news for the erstwhile D&D movie, whose release date was recently pushed back to accommodate for the release of Mission Impossible 7. Now that they have a little time, Goldstein has basically confirmed what Daley was tweeting at earlier this year, when the actor/director whom you’re slowly realizing played Sam Weir on Freaks & Geeks, posted a picture of 2d20 right at the turn of the decade.
Advertisement— John Francis Daley (@JohnFDaley) January 1, 2020
I have to say, if anyone is going to be up to the task of co-writing/co-directing the D&D movie, these two feel like a good fit. Goldstein and Daley have a knack for finding unusual ways of looking at familiar subject matter. This is most evident when you look at their approach to Spider-Man: Homecoming.
We went in with a take that was diametrically opposed to the Spider-Man movies that had come before. Instead of a movie that focused on the drama and weight of the tragedy that leads to the origin of Spider-Man, we would lean into the high school movie aspects of it. We really let the adolescent issues that Peter Parker faces breathe, to imagine what it would be like to be a real kid who gets superpowers.
AdvertisementWe think that aspect of the character is what sets him apart from any other superhero in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’s a kid that doesn’t have his shit together, is immature, and is very often using his powers for his own personal gain – at least in the beginning.
We liked the element of a learning opportunity, for him to not only learn to be responsible with his abilities, but to also learn how to survive the atmosphere of high school.
Homecoming is easily the best movie in the MCU, and anyone who says differently is lying to you and you shouldn’t be friends with people who lie to you–but even their non-blockbuster work like Game Night or Horrible Bosses has a knack for finding ways to work better than they have any right to. The pair are excellent at creating characters that are relatable, and from there pushing into story. So it’ll be interesting to see how they take on the world of the D&D Movie, especially since it seems like so much is locked in before they even begin.
Goldstein and Daley had previously been confirmed to direct, but signing on as writers seems to indicate they’ll have a little more freedom to play with the material. Especially given the myriad changes the movie has been through recently, including moving its release date from July 2021 to November 2021. But here are a few other things we know–the plot of the movie is all about finding the latest resting place for the Eye of Vecna.
And while Dungeons and Dragons (2021), as yet, does not have an actual cast, it does have a firm list of all the roles. Here’s a breakdown of all the characters mentioned above, along with how many scenes they’ll each play in, thanks to Fandomwire:
- Raven Hightower is one of the lead males as he is in 88 scenes. He has dark eyes, long hair, and a beard and he wears an oiled cloak, leather armor and wields a magic flamesword. He is an honorable man as he and his sister were once slaves but she died and he is still haunted by her passing.
- Hack Karroway is another lead male, having a gigantic 77 scenes, but he is a voice-over character. He is a former human turned Half-Dragon, now standing seven feet tall with a long tail and blood-red scales. He wears human armor and has a large bastard sword and can breathe fire. He’s intelligent and logical.
- Otivan Trickfoot is a strong support male with 51 scenes and he’s a gnome who wears magic rings. He is cunning and untrustworthy.
- Alyssa Steelsong is a strong support female with 41 scenes. She is the leader of the masked warriors and wields a mace. She is next in line to be the Lord Protector of the Triadic Knights after Palarandusk dies.
- Malanthius is a supporting male with 26 scenes. He is skinny, longhaired and young and he is a spellcaster.
- Razer Horlbar is a supporting male with 14 scenes. He is a handsome elf with jet-black skin and has pointed ears and long white hair. He is the leader of the cloaked men and is in charge of Damaia and The Beast.
- Damaia is a supporting female with 10 scenes. She is a Tiefling, a race descended from demons. She has horns, pointed teeth, and a long tail.
- The Beast is a supporting male with 9 scenes and he is a huge, cloaked man who wears an expressionless wooden mask.
- Bickety is a supporting male with 9 scenes, he is a human swordsman with a scar-ridden face and he is an adventurer.
- Zanril is a supporting male with 9 scenes. He is a bald warlock adventurer who explores the Demon Temples with Karroway and Hightower.
- Skeever is a supporting male with 7 scenes and he is a half-orc adventurer.
- Palarandusk is supporting male with only 3 scenes. He is an ancient gold dragon and Lord Protector of the Triadic Knights. He has cracked scales and dangling spines with catfish whiskers. He eats gemstones to stay alive.
A reported wishlist for any and all of these parts is a cavalcade of celebrities including Will Smith, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Vin Diesel, Matthew McConaughey, Jamie Foxx, Joel Edgerton, Dave Bautista, Jeremy Renner, or Johnny Depp. An unconfirmed rumor puts Ansel Elgort, of Baby Driver fame as Raven Hightower.
And while the movie does not have any actors yet, both Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley have enough credits between them that it’ll be interesting to see what this new movie looks like. Stay tuned for more as we follow the ups and downs of the D&D movie.
Happy Adventuring!
