Warner Bros Studios, Hasbro and Sweat Pea Entertainment have recently come to an agreement that allows Warner Bros to make a new "Dungeons & Dragons" film.
Warner Bros has been trying to get the film off the ground for several years now. However, according to Hollywood Reporter, acquiring the rights to the popular board gaming franchise proved more difficult than first thought. The script for the new movie, which was written by David Leslie Johnson, was sent to Warner Bros but the company did not own any movie rights to the Dungeons and Dragons franchise. Those rights were then owned by Sweetpea Entertainment, who are the makers of the first film of the franchise.
Long story short, Sweetpea Entertainment, Hasbro and Warner Bros were forced to iron out a settlement under the supervision of US District Judge Dolly Gee, to which all the sides have made an agreeable arrangement.
According to Comic Book, Warner Bros provided a press release confirming that the movie will push through with production. In the press release, Warner Bros confirmed that several important people from Hasbro and Sweetpea Entertainment will be attached to the film. Brian Goldner and Stephen Davis from Hasbro and Courtney Solomon and Allan Zeman of Sweetpea will be on the team that makes the film.
Stephen Davis, the executive vice president and chief content officer of Hasbro Inc, states in the press release that the gaming company is excited to bring the world of Dungeons & Dragons back to the big screen. Davis goes on to confirm that the story will take place in the Forgotten Realms Universe, and that fans should expect great things from the movie.
News of a producer has also been confirmed on Hollywood Reporter as Roy Lee of "The Lego Movie" and "How to Train Your Dragon" fame has been signed on to produce. With Solomon on board with the movie, some have been left wondering if he should be allowed to direct the new movie after the first "Dungeons & Dragons" did so poorly. While there is no question that Solomon is a talented director, there are questions about his passion and drive to actually make the film.
Currently, nothing much is known about the film and stars have yet to be attached to it. The announcement made by Warner Bros is simply to let the public know that the studio has finally made an official settlement to move forward with the project.