After months of legal disputes between toy giants Hasbro and production company Sweetpea Entertainment over the sequel rights to Dungeons & Dragons, Warner Bros. has announced that a settlement has been reached and a new film is in the works.
Greg Silverman, Warners Pictures’ Creative Development and Worldwide Production head-honcho said: “We are so excited about bringing the world of Dungeons & Dragons to life on the big screen. This is far and away the most well-known brand in fantasy, which is the genre that drives the most passionate film followings. D&D has endless creative possibilities, giving our filmmakers immense opportunities to delight and thrill both fans and moviegoers new to the property.”
Under the new deal, both Hasbro and Sweetpea Entertainment will produce the film with WB, with The Conjuring 2 writer David Leslie Johnson assigned to pen the script.
“This settlement accomplished our overarching goal of unifying all Dungeons & Dragons rights under Hasbro’s control, paving the way to make a blockbuster film” Hasbro lawyers Maura Wogan and Jeremy Goldman of Frankfurt Kurnit said on Monday. “It’s a great outcome for all involved – especially Dungeons & Dragons fans who will now get to see D&D on the big screen.”
Courtney Solomon of Sweetpea added: “We are thrilled that this beloved property can finally make its way to the big screen after 20 years, and that it can be realized by Warner Bros., which has been responsible for the biggest fantasy franchises over the past two decades. ”
The first Dungeons & Dragons film was released in 2000 and starred Thora Birch and Jeremy Irons, grossing just $33 million worldwide; the sequel Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God was made for TV and released in 2005, and the third film, Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Vile Darkness, was released straight to DVD in 2012.
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