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A Forogotten Realms Television Series

HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
edited September 2012 in Archive (General Discussion)
I tell you what... I used to think it wasn't possible, but seeing Game of Thrones be successfully done, I think it is. And here's the kicker. Sure you invest in characters, but when they leave, you bring in others. Its not like GoT where you have to follow certain books and they're worried about actors staying with the show. You've got a wonderful world with cool, amazing creatures and areas. I personally think a series set in Icewind Dale would be cheap to make and have a real adventurous feel. Plus they could always leave that area and go to other parts of Faerun... and still come back.

Ah.... Probably a pipe dream. I think about such things though.

Comments

  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    Fail - LOL

  • WardWard Member Posts: 1,305
    LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  • AurenRavidelAurenRavidel Member Posts: 139
    The problem with an FR tv show that Game of Thrones doesn't have, is that FR is high fantasy - there's magic everywhere. Game of Thrones is very much light on magic, especially early-on in the series. The special effects budget for a FR series would have to be pretty substantial, unless you just follow a bunch of warriors around slaying orcs or something (in which case you'd have to pay for the makeup).

    I'm not saying it couldn't be done, of course. Just saying it'd cost a lot of money to do it right.
  • DelvarianDelvarian Member Posts: 1,232
    They would also have to come up with a majority of the story elements themselves. While games are fun to play they make terrible tv shows or movies as is. I doubt anyone would bother to make a BG show when they could make a show based on some fantasy novels with much less work.
  • reedmilfamreedmilfam Member Posts: 2,808
    They could do cool story arcs, but the problem would be the writing. Some big intrigue with different parties (Drow/Amn whatever) trying to do big things on the sword coast. Would be expensive, so I only see a cable provider being able to pull it off.
  • LemernisLemernis Member, Moderator Posts: 4,318
    A movie would be a better bet, I'd think.
  • KelesKeles Member Posts: 31
    while "possible" it would cost a ton to produce and the viewership would more than likely be small as it is appealing to a small niche. this isn't to say it can't done right with good writing....just that even if it did hit the airwaves I really doubt it would go past a single season. ~
  • Fake_SketchFake_Sketch Member Posts: 217
    @Lemernis: Its was horrible.
    Wikipedias article to D&D movie
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RLJwOGIjOIU
  • CCarluNNCCarluNN Member Posts: 200
    edited September 2012
    Fake_Sketch said:

    @Lemernis: Its was horrible.
    Wikipedias article to D&D movie

    The movie industries these days have the tendency to revisit old badly made movies and give them a 'reboot'.

    Scary huh? Imagine a new D&D movie, but even worse than before.
  • KonabugaKonabuga Member Posts: 135
    edited September 2012
    If anything like this should happen, they should really do it as an anime. Now I'm not a big fan of anime or anything, but there have been shows done in that style, which have had more mature elements than shows done in conventional cartoon style and they've kind of worked. It would certainly solve the budget issue.

    I've basically only seen Nagareboshi Gin as a kid and it was a pretty bloody show, with horror elements, demonic bears and I can't recommend it highly enough. You can find it entirely on youtube with fanmade subtitles, which aren't always the greatest, but I think you can follow the plot. It has a great 80's soundtrack by the way.

    If you can find the 23 episode dvd box somewhere, I would urge you to buy it, but I'm not sure if it's actually available with official english subtitles. Here's a clip:


    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kHiCHTdu24

  • xLegionxxLegionx Member Posts: 197
    edited September 2012
    That cartoon was an embarrassment to dnd.

    Still, I can see a forgotten realms rl series happening though since game of thrones was ok. Just so long as it doesn't include too much sex.

    @LadyRhian Ok I need to play this!!
  • ZinodinZinodin Member Posts: 153
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVQmYF35w74

    I'm reminded of this.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    They did make a second D&D movie, you know. It was shown on the SciFi network before it became the SyFy (I pronounce this as "Siffy") network.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsXNjhKGty4&feature=fvwrel

    And here's the whole film:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eBjRptfJ88

    It's not perfect, but it's 100x better than that first film.
  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    Ugh all the D&D movies are SO bad... Marlon Wayans really needed work when he signed up for the first one lol.
  • BelgarathMTHBelgarathMTH Member Posts: 5,653
    The reason Game of Thrones is so successful is precisely because it is backed up by a masterpiece of literature. Same thing with the Lord of the Rings movies. And I thought that the Legend of the Seeker series was good, becuase it was also backed up by good books with masterful writing.

    Unforturnately, the Forgotten Realms gaming world has only been supported by B-grade literature at best.

    The Baldur's Gate story is close to having the literary mojo it needs to be made into a good movie. But fleshing out the characters into believable human beings would be a problem, especially since every fan has his or her own ideas about who the characters are, and many times these ideas conflict. Therefore, it would be almost impossible to please most of the fans.

    Another problem with a Forgotten Realms movie or tv series would be that, as @AurenRavadel has said, the D&D world is so high magic, that it lends itself very easily to parody, often unintentionally. I just don't think it would work on film without good literature backing it up. Unless it were intentionally played with mixed seriousness and parody, like Hercules, Xena, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or Charmed. If it could be like those, it could be good, but it would be hard to pull off the right mix of tones.

  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    edited September 2012
    belgarathmth said:

    The reason Game of Thrones is so successful is precisely because it is backed up by a masterpiece of literature. Same thing with the Lord of the Rings movies. And I thought that the Legend of the Seeker series was good, becuase it was also backed up by good books with masterful writing.

    Unforturnately, the Forgotten Realms gaming world has only been supported by B-grade literature at best.

    I think any good show (those based on books and those not) needs good writers - this one would be no exception and the greatest challenge of course would to have the writers be versed enough in the source material... They would certainly need to have some folks as creative consultants to even begin to make it work.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Wait until you see the trailer for the third film... you'll think the first one was a masterpiece of the film art.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVwPgrQ_R_s
  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    Gods save us.
    LadyRhian said:

    Wait until you see the trailer for the third film... you'll think the first one was a masterpiece of the film art.

    "I've traveled to the floor of the pit of my own free will!" -- UGH.
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Sorceress says- "How much more metal can I stick in my face and still have flesh left?"

    Acid Mask Face guy- "You're asking me?!"
  • LadyRhianLadyRhian Member Posts: 14,694
    Two other movies from the early 80's that obviously took their inspiration from D&D/AD&D:

    Hawk the Slayer (Bad 80's cheese with overacting by Jack Palance): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5A7vBVQdw4

    Archer: Fugitive from the Empire- http://www.moviemire.com/index.php/the-archer-fugitive-from-the-empire-1981-tv.html

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NVcfW5sHSU
  • RexfaroensisRexfaroensis Member Posts: 134
    belgarathmth said:


    Unforturnately, the Forgotten Realms gaming world has only been supported by B-grade literature at best.

    Let's be honest here, R.A. Salvatore's novels aren't exactly B-grade literature. You may dislike them, but that doesn't qualify them as B-grade literature. Personally, I think some of them are quite good.

    But to the point. As many have pointed out, the extensive use of magic etc. would make this a highly unlikely contender for a good series. I do, however, think that a brilliant movie could be made from it, if the right resources were put to use.

    I think the biggest problem the producers would face would not be how much money to spend, but rather figuring out which direction to take a potential D&D movie. Fantasy has a sad trend of becoming extremely silly, as pointed out by someone above.
  • HaHaCharadeHaHaCharade Member Posts: 1,644
    LadyRhian said:

    Two other movies from the early 80's that obviously took their inspiration from D&D/AD&D:

    Hawk the Slayer (Bad 80's cheese with overacting by Jack Palance)

    If it has Jack Palance in it, it can't be THAT bad! :o)

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