Joe Manganiello Directing D&D’s 50th Anniversary Documentary
Variety announced that legendary nerd Joe Manganiello will be directing an upcoming D&D Documentary, celebrating the game’s 50th anniversary.
Joe Manganiello, DM at the “Gary Gygax memorial Dungeon” and one-time werewolf, will soon be directing a documentary about the world’s oldest roleplaying game: Dungeons & Dragons.
The news, which came to us via Variety, should shock no one. Manganiello is known for many things; an impeccable jawline, portraying a werewolf on True Blood, and loving anything and everything to do with Dungeons & Dragons.
Now, with the game’s 50th anniversary looming next year, Manganiello will be taking the reins on a documentary, “backed by Hasbro and eOne.” With the tabletop game’s powerhouse parent companies behind it, WotC and Manganiello are positioning this documentary as “the definitive documentary feature about the world’s greatest roleplaying game.”
And from the sound of it, Manganiello is going to some extraordinary lengths to tell the twisting story of the origins of Dungeons & Dragons.
Joe Manganiello Digs Through More Than 400 Hours Of Archival Footage for D&D Documentary
Manganiello’s love of all things D&D is at the heart of this documentary. As Manganiello describes it, he lived through the rise and fall and rebirth of D&D, and wants to capture everything that makes the game special:
“I couldn’t be more proud and excited to get back behind the camera for another documentary, this time with the D&D dream team of Jon, Kyle, and my brother and producing partner Nick. I lived through the rise and fall and rise again of this legacy brand that has not only meant so much to me but has served as the fountainhead of creativity for an entire generation of writers, artists, and creative minds, influencing so much of our culture.”
And this film is an ambitious one. Variety reports that the upcoming documentary will incorporate more than 400 hours of “archived, never-before-seen [D&D] footage from the game’s creation in the early 1970s.”
The tale of early D&D is strange indeed. From a game that almost barely didn’t get made. To a boardroom bloodbath (metaphorical). To the creator of D&D living up an LA Playboy lifestyle in mansions (all while trying to get a movie and cartoon made). And that’s not even touching the many, many lawsuits D&D participated in one way or another.
With the support of D&D luminaries and historians like Jon Peterson, of Playing at the World, this documentary promises to go in-depth like no other documentary.
2024 has taken almost 50 years to get here, here’s hoping it was worth the wait.
