# DragonLance Movie confirmed by M. Weis



## Steel_Wind (Jun 27, 2006)

Over the weekend, the Media forum here on ENWorld linked to a post on Lucy Lawless' fan website that leaked the existence of a DragonLance animated movie. (Lucy Lawless has been cast as the voice of Goldmoon).

After some cross-referencing with a prior hint by Tracy Hickman back in March of this year, Margaret Weis confirmed today that an adult, full length DragonLance movie based on _Dragons of Autumn Twilight _ has been in production for over a year through Paramount Pictures.

So. There you have it. Never mind the bloody D&D movies 1 and 2 - the real deal is on the way with the best selling D&D novel of all time going to the big screen.

Lots of trepidation - and lots of hope too. 

Full text below:

From Margaret's post on Dragonlance.com earlier today:



> _Dear Friends,
> 
> I really wanted to wait until we could make the WAHOO Big Announcement on the Dragonlance movie site (which is coming any day now, so keep watch!). But since Lucy Lawless gave us away, I'll let you know what's going on. Paramount Studios is making Dragons of Autumn Twilight as a full-length, adult, animated movie. I'll let the movie site provide you with details on the director, screen play writer, animation house, and all that.
> 
> ...


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## tvknight415 (Jun 27, 2006)

Is it too early to get in line for tickets?


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## Lord Zardoz (Jun 27, 2006)

*This should be intresting*

I have been a fan of the Dragonlance series for a long time.  I have to wonder though, how much of the story will be cut?

Peter Jackson did a fine job with Lord of the Rings, but each movie in that series is about 3 hours long.  Now, as much as I like the original Chronicles trilogy, its not Lord of the Rings.  While there are many devoted fans, there just s not the demand ofr 9 hours of Dragonlance Trilogy to justify spending the money to make that scale of of a project out of this.

So, what parts of the overall story are they going to cut?  Its probably inevitable that something of note has got to be cut for time considerations.

Despite that, I expect to watch it regardless.

END COMMUNICATION


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## Mad Mac (Jun 27, 2006)

Sounds even cooler than I thought it would be. Could still be bad, but very interesting so far. Of course, I haven't read the Chronicles in years...and this will be just the first book. *Damages brain trying to remember what all happened in the first book*

  Eh...it was like, Tanis and Flint meet Tas outside town and kill some goblins, then everyone meets up in the Tavern, but something happens and they all flee town. Then they meet up with some Draconians and Sturm gets injured and crazy and meets the Forestmaster who whips up an awesome steak dinner....thinking...is hard...

Then there was some more wandering around and everyone gets captured by Draconians. But they get away, and Tas gets stuck in a whicker dragon, and then there was the whole thing with the Black Dragon, the dungeon full of Draconians and Gully Dwarves, and Raist starts getting super angsty and grab his first spellbook by Fistie-whoosit. Oh, and they get the disks of Mishakal too. (Keeps flipping through book, trying to jog memory)

  Ah, yes. Everyone goes back to Solace and gets captured by bad guys. Again. Except this time it's Hobgoblins. This is where they pick up Tika too, (With her trademark frying pan and big...eyes.) and Fizban starts to become more noticeable. Oh, and Gil's here too. It's like the ultimate prisioner reunion caravan. 

  This is where they get rescued by the Elves, and we find out why Tanis is so darn moody all the time. This is also where Laurana joins the team, bringing the major character count up to about 23.5. 

  At this point, the heroes explore one more dungeon, off a Dragon Highlord, and then the book ends with a wedding. Nice happy way to end the first chapter.

  Soooo...thinking about it in movie terms, there's a lot of stuff going on. On the other hand, the first book is a lot more linear and straightforward than the other two books, where you have flashbacks, seperations, and intertwining storylines all over the place. First book is just everyone walking around in a big group, while fighting bad guys and being angsty and getting captured and stuff. 

   It sounds like this is a pretty serious project, which shouldn't be suprising....if the first movie is a big hit, that's when you get to start raking in the sequel money and putting out 23 different dvd versions and Caramon toys and stuff.

  Going with animation has a lot of advantages, too. First of all, it lets you try to capitalize on the success of Lord of the Rings without looking like a Lord of the Rings clone. Also, Dragonlance has like a Gi-normous cast of major characters, all of which, unlike say, Lord of the Rings, have very specific physical descriptions. It's a casting nightmare really, especially if you're also looking for a lot of good actors who also happen to look the part and don't expect to be paid a fortune. 

  Oh, and you still have to try and not look like a Lord of the Rings clone. So ripping of LoTR actors is probably not a good idea. I am very interested in seeing the style of animation, though I find it very interesting that they're bringing the Wotc art supervisor for Dragonlance on board. That's pretty cool, since Dragonlance does have a certain distinct look to it's artwork compared to other D&D settings.


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## Alzrius (Jun 27, 2006)

Steel_Wind said:
			
		

> an adult, full length DragonLance movie




I understand why it's being phrased that way, but it still makes it sound like DL porn.


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## Hypersmurf (Jun 27, 2006)

Mad Mac said:
			
		

> It's a casting nightmare really...




But all the casting work's been done for you!  

There must be thousands of threads on hundreds of message boards over the last twenty years with people casting the Dragonlance movie!

(Or alternatively, you could just track down the Turks who made the trailers   )

-Hyp.


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## Dragonhelm (Jun 27, 2006)

Hypersmurf said:
			
		

> There must be thousands of threads on hundreds of message boards over the last twenty years with people casting the Dragonlance movie!




The whole reason the movie is being made is to end those threads and spare our sanity!  

Ah, well, it was worth a try.


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## Truth Seeker (Jun 27, 2006)

Bring it on!!!....      

psssstt...move to Media Lounge, this must.


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## Hypersmurf (Jun 27, 2006)

Dragonhelm said:
			
		

> The whole reason the movie is being made is to end those threads and spare our sanity!




They're making an _animated_ movie.  The Bakshi LotR didn't stop people casting the live action film in their heads for years, did it?  

-Hyp.


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## questing gm (Jun 27, 2006)

Finally something to expect that can relief my pain after watching D&D 1&2....

  Any dates or at least when can we expect to see this release ?

  On a side note, DL has done it ! When is FR coming up with something !? (read; self ranting, ignore)


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## Raylis (Jun 27, 2006)

tvknight415 said:
			
		

> Is it too early to get in line for tickets?




it's never too early! Just make sure you have a good tent...now where did I put mine...


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## blargney the second (Jun 27, 2006)

That's pretty cool!  I wonder how jarring it will be to have them all drawn up by someone other than Elmore...


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## Hussar (Jun 27, 2006)

I have some fear.  Lucy Lawless is a voice actor.  This does not bode well for high quality voice acting.  It might be fine, but, I'm a little leery.

Color me cautious but hopeful.


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## Wereserpent (Jun 27, 2006)

Heh, I think it will be good.


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## DragonLancer (Jun 27, 2006)

Fantastic! Can't wait to see this!


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## Klaus (Jun 27, 2006)

Check out the Dragonlance Chronicles comic book adaptation for an example of how the story can be pared down.


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## qstor (Jun 27, 2006)

Hussar said:
			
		

> I have some fear.  Lucy Lawless is a voice actor.  This does not bode well for high quality voice acting.  It might be fine, but, I'm a little leery.
> 
> Color me cautious but hopeful.





Hey, I think she'll be fine    I'm waiting for tickets too 

Mike


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## WayneLigon (Jun 27, 2006)

_They've been wonderful to work with! They've allowed us to have *script approval* and asked for our suggestions. They've shown us all the *art * work and allowed us *approval * on that (as well as the WoTC art director in charge of Dragonlance). _ 

That is very encouraging to hear. Looking forward to seeing character designs.


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## Dragonhelm (Jun 27, 2006)

Hussar said:
			
		

> I have some fear.  Lucy Lawless is a voice actor.  This does not bode well for high quality voice acting.  It might be fine, but, I'm a little leery.
> 
> Color me cautious but hopeful.




Lucy Lawless has a wonderful singing voice.  She will be perfect as the voice of Goldmoon.  

Though I'm sure many would rather see her as Kitiara!


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## Kanegrundar (Jun 27, 2006)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> I understand why it's being phrased that way, but it still makes it sound like DL porn.



 I'm just happy I wasn't the only one that thought that!


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## Wereserpent (Jun 27, 2006)

Kanegrundar said:
			
		

> I'm just happy I wasn't the only one that thought that!




Me too!!!


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## Whizbang Dustyboots (Jun 27, 2006)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> I understand why it's being phrased that way, but it still makes it sound like DL porn.



Must ... not ... joke ... about ... dialogue ...


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## librarius_arcana (Jun 27, 2006)

DragonLance   

"animated"


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## hbarsquared (Jun 27, 2006)

I wonder what is meant by the term "animated."

Does this imply cartoon/comic style?  I'm not sure, since every "animated" film out recently is actually CG.  So does this mean we will see a CG Dragonlance?  And if so, will it be with cartoony characters, or closer to Final Fantasy style animation?

Oh, and I can't wait.


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## theredrobedwizard (Jun 27, 2006)

What's with this hatred for animated?  You do realize that the cost difference between an animated movie and a live-action one with the same quality is so staggering that no one in their right mind would ever make a live-action D&D movie, right?

I mean, a *good* live-action D&D movie; with a good storyline and special effects.

Animation was the only way to go with this project.  I don't care if it looks like Macross or Akira or f****** Looney Toons; so long as it has a serious tone to it and it follows the story of the books as close as possible.

-TRRW


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## Klaus (Jun 27, 2006)

I hope it looks a bit like Titan A.E., the last for-grown-ups animation I saw.


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## RangerWickett (Jun 28, 2006)

Klaus said:
			
		

> I hope it looks a bit like Titan A.E., the last for-grown-ups animation I saw.




I hope it looks like Cowboy Bebop. 

*imagines Dragonlance with a jazz, blues, and funk soundtrack; goes back to work on own D&D cartoon idea*


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## Bront (Jun 28, 2006)

Alzrius said:
			
		

> I understand why it's being phrased that way, but it still makes it sound like DL porn.



We can hope


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## Bront (Jun 28, 2006)

Klaus said:
			
		

> I hope it looks a bit like Titan A.E., the last for-grown-ups animation I saw.



I didn't care for that style as much, was a little too overanimated at times it seemed.  But they could do worse.

This does sound interesting, particularly if they get a good cast.


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## Odhanan (Jun 28, 2006)

Oh the good news! Sweet!


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## Mad Mac (Jun 28, 2006)

You DL porn guys scare me. I mean, I don't want to see Tas like that, if you catch my drift....


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## Agamon (Jun 28, 2006)

*happy dance*

Now we just need a "A Song of Ice and Fire" HBO series, and all is good. 

And I don't mind that it's animated, as long as they stay true to Elmore's look.  If they looked much different from that, I'd probably be put off by it.


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## Mad Mac (Jun 28, 2006)

Official Movie site is up and running...

http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/movie/

Director is Will Meugniot, who did a lot of 90's cartoons, including Exosquad!

Screenplay is George Strayton, who did both Hercules and Xena.

"The film is being produced by Toonz Animation, Commotion Pictures and Epic Level Entertainment, with conceptual artwork from Kunoichi and others. Paramount Pictures will be looking after worldwide distribution."

Toonz Animation is an Indian Based animator, interestingly enough, while Kunoichi obviously has an anime influence. 

Fall 2007....looking pretty solid, I have to admit. 

Michael Rosenbaum as Tanis. Jason Marsden as Tas (He does a ton of cartoon voices, apparently). 

All in all, this looks like a really, really, big project for an American animated film.

Edit: Going over the profile for Jason Marsden. Holy crap has he done a lot of shows. (Like, everything from Boy Meets World  and Adventures of Brisco County Junior to more cartoons than you can think of) Background characters, mostly. Heh, he played Max in "The Goofy Movie".


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## Angel Tarragon (Jun 28, 2006)

Steel_Wind said:
			
		

> Over the weekend, the Media forum here on ENWorld linked to a post on Lucy Lawless' fan website that leaked the existence of a DragonLance animated movie. (Lucy Lawless has been cast as the voice of Goldmoon).



Animation? Oy. That isn't going to do the setting any justice.


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## John Crichton (Jun 28, 2006)

Frukathka said:
			
		

> Animation? Oy. That isn't going to do the setting any justice.



 Justice is all and well.  But would you rather Dragonlance not be put on the silver screen at all?  If it does well, we may see a DL/FR live action film with a credible production crew at the helm in our lifetime.

One small step is good enough for me if it means that these stories are eventually told again outside of the written word.


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## Steel_Wind (Jun 28, 2006)

Mad Mac said:
			
		

> Official Movie site is up and running...
> 
> http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/movie/
> 
> ...




Direction and writing pedigree scares the bejeezus out of me. I hope they are true fans.

Margaret and Tracy's involvement gives me some warm snugglie feelings though.

Not sure if this is destined for cinema, SF channel or straight to DVD. I'm feeling the later 2 - but hey - I might be wrong.

Ralph Bakshi's LoTR made an impression on a young Peter Jackson - so much so - he dedicated about ten years of his life to making what are probably the best live action films that could have been made of the novels.

If we get the same investment payoff out of this movie, it will be time well spent.

I suppose it is entirely possible that the movie could be a hit and actually create some BUZZ over D&D in mainstream culture.  I cannot imagine why that would happen in this post LotR/World of Warcraft/Star Wars/Harry Potter society. It's not as if we are under-exposed to fantasy themes. But  - stranger things have happened. 

If I was WotC - I'd be doing everything I could to make this a successful film.  _Dragons of Autumn Twilight_ is their A list IP, as far as mass-media goes.  They should treat it like the crown jewel it is.


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## Steel_Wind (Jun 28, 2006)

On a separate note...

Is the Forest Master destined to meet the same fate as Tom Bombadil?

I say cut the Unicorn! You don't need this plot device. It was barely necessary as a railroad device in the orginal module/novel.  Free of game design concerns, I think you can move striaght to Xak Tsaroth a little more cleverly - and a lot more directly.


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## Starman (Jun 28, 2006)

Steel_Wind said:
			
		

> On a separate note...
> 
> Is the Forest Master destined to meet the same fate as Tom Bombadil?
> 
> I say cut the Unicorn! You don't need this plot device. It was barely necessary as a railroad device in the orginal module/novel.  Free of game design concerns, I think you can move striaght to Xak Tsaroth a little more cleverly - and a lot more directly.




I think that can easily be cut. 

One scene I definitely _don't_ want to be cut is Tas in the wicker dragon.


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## Hypersmurf (Jun 28, 2006)

Mad Mac said:
			
		

> Official Movie site is up and running...
> 
> http://www.dragonlance-movie.com/movie/




Heh.  Two days ago, that site was the _Unofficial_ Dragonlance Movie site.

No Turks to be seen anywhere, I notice...

-Hyp.


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## KenM (Jun 28, 2006)

Did they say who else they have for different voices?


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## Klaus (Jun 28, 2006)

Just Michael Rosembaum (Lex Luthor in Smallville and Flash in JLU) as Tanis Half-Elven and Jason Marsden (Gear in Static Shock and Snapper Carr in JL) as Tasslehoff Burrfoot.

The director is listed as a veteran of the 90s X-Men and The Real Ghostbusters, two very good cartoon shows. Makes me hopeful.


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## tecnowraith (Jun 28, 2006)

If you go to Epic Level Entertainment from the Dragonlance movie site, you will see other products they are doing as well like Deadlands, Magic: The Gathering, World of Darknes, Ubran Arcana (D20 Modern) and others.


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## tecnowraith (Jun 28, 2006)

From Dragonlance movie site "with conceptual artwork from Kunoichi" which also did GI Joe: Sigma 6, so now we know how the characters will now look like.


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## Mad Mac (Jun 28, 2006)

Steelwind:

What exactly about the direction and screenplay worries you?

  The director basically worked on all of the 90's cartoons that were any good. Exosquad in paticular was a real gem. For an american, non-disney, animation director, it seems like a good choice.

   Screenplay I can see your worries...but Xena and Hercules were basically good shows, just not the style that I want to see Dragonlance in. His involvement could go either way, I think.


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## librarius_arcana (Jun 28, 2006)

theredrobedwizard said:
			
		

> What's with this hatred for animated?  You do realize that the cost difference between an animated movie and a live-action one with the same quality is so staggering that no one in their right mind would ever make a live-action D&D movie, right?
> 
> I mean, a *good* live-action D&D movie; with a good storyline and special effects.
> 
> ...




Yeah just like the first "Lord of the Rings" LoL


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## Truth Seeker (Jun 28, 2006)

CineScape  just got around to reporting it. But I have to say, thanks to you guys, the SCI FI News Page, could have been the first, in reporting it, directly.


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## David Howery (Jun 28, 2006)

while I'm all happy and giddy over the upcoming movie, I admit I'm surprised by choosing DL... the story is a huge and complex one with dozens of named characters, and a huge adventuring party.  I'd have thought a movie company would rather go for one of the Drizzt stories.. these are also widely popular and a lot simpler stories... easier to film...


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## Truth Seeker (Jun 28, 2006)

I could be wrong, but, if it wasn't for the personal involvement of the creators of Dragonlance. There wouldn't have been a project to done in the first place. I think that is why, we are seeing this going 'first' before Drizzt.

Then again, who knows why, it was chosen at all. Only M & T would know.


			
				David Howery said:
			
		

> while I'm all happy and giddy over the upcoming movie, I admit I'm surprised by choosing DL... the story is a huge and complex one with dozens of named characters, and a huge adventuring party.  I'd have thought a movie company would rather go for one of the Drizzt stories.. these are also widely popular and a lot simpler stories... easier to film...


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## MonsterMash (Jun 29, 2006)

Well if it actually proves to be a good movie I'll see it, but I'm not holding my breath and I'm not a DL fanboy to see it regardless of quality.


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## Nightfall (Jun 30, 2006)

Well I'm a DL fan boy. If only to see Soth some time on the Big Screen. Some day.


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## Pants (Jun 30, 2006)

Hm, the first DL book is far from my favorite and it's far from the best in the series. It's sort of a ramshackle, hodgepodge of fantasy stuff that really doesn't come together for a while. Hopefully, the film is good enough and profitable enough so that the following two (much higher in quality) books can be adapted.


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## Truth Seeker (Jun 30, 2006)

The latecomers keep on coming...now SCI FI Wire is reporting it.


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## Nightfall (Jun 30, 2006)

Well see they don't have our inside track to Weis and Hickman.


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## Knightfall (Jul 1, 2006)

Nightfall said:
			
		

> Well see they don't have our inside track to Weis and Hickman.




No kidding.

And this is great news. A Dragonlance movie is just what D&D fans have been clamoring for. Maybe this one I'll get to see. (I can't find a copy of WotDG, locally, period. It's annoying, but not surprising.)

Hopefully it will be in theatres, and not just a DVD release.

KF72


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## Nightfall (Jul 1, 2006)

Well so far no idea but since there's a 2007 release, it's entirely possible for it be a small showing. But if it does become direct to DVD, there's always a chance they'll show it on the big screen IF DVD sales are high enough.

(Sorry you can't find WotDG, but trust me Rob, you're not missing all that much. Other than a mention of Jubliex.   )


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