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[DRAGONLANCE®]
Movie FAQ Version 2.62
http://www.cinemagine-ltd.com/dlmovie/
COMPILED & MAINTAINED BY BEN CRAIG
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© Copyright 1995-98 Benjamin Craig. All Rights Reserved.
Permission is granted for reproduction, distribution,
transmission, or storage (see exception below) of this FAQ for
non-commercial purposes only and on the condition that the
contents are not modified in any way.
DISCLAIMER
Whilst every effort has been made to maintain the accuracy of
information provided in this FAQ, the author cannot accept any
moral or legal liability for inaccurate or outdated information
contained within. Furthermore, certain information presented in
this FAQ is based on the opinions and experiences of the author
only, and cannot be taken to be legally binding.
"Dragonlance," "Advanced Dungeons & Dragons" and "AD&D" are
registered trademarks owned by TSR Inc. This document is not
affiliated with, nor authorised by TSR in anyway, and is
presented as a free informational resource for DL fans.
Trademarks referred to in this document are used without
permission. Reference to these trademarks is for informational
purposes only and should in no way be considered a challenge to
their ownership.
Distribution Exception - In response to their support of the
former TSR's draconian Internet policy, this FAQ may not be
uploaded or stored on the Multi-Player Games Network (mpgn.com)
in any form whatsoever.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction
Latest Revisions
Where can I get the latest version of this FAQ?
Contacting the Author
Gimme the current buzz regarding a Dragonlance® movie?
What other news/rumours have been floating around?
But I heard that a D&D movie was definitely happening.
I heard something about Jim Henson/Muppet DL?
Wasn't there an animated DL movie coming out?
I heard that ... was going to play ... character?
Who should play [insert character]?
The Official Dragonlance® Dream Cast Poll.
Other Dragonlance Movie Related Sites
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INTRODUCTION
This document has grown from a large number of questions that are
being posted by every second new user on alt.fan.dragonlance
regarding the possibility of a Dragonlance® movie of any kind.
The intention of this FAQ is to provide answers to these
questions to free up the newsgroup from repetitive questions. I
will try and keep it as up-to-date as possible. If you come
across any information that relates to DL movies, please let me
know. Note however, all information given to me via
non-official/media sources will be considered rumours until
proven otherwise.
Finally, this document is maintained by me due to a *personal*
interest in the idea of movies based on Dragonlance®. Over recent
months many Net users have taken the opportunity to congratulate,
suggest, or flame me under the mistaken assumption that I, as a
filmmaker, am involved in the production of such a movie. I would
like to take this opportunity to announce to all prospective
emailers that myself or the company I work for (Cinemagine) are
not associated with any Dragonlance® film projects in anyway.
Please do not email me with your congratulations or grievances.
Comments and suggestions should be directed to Ben Craig
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LATEST REVISIONS
(Note dates are in sensible format - dd/mm/yy)
26/03/98 - Version 2.62 Small corrections to Muppet DL.
12/03/98 - Version 2.61 Small updates to D&D Movie info.
08/01/98 - Version 2.6 Updated current buzz information.
01/10/97 - Version 2.5 Added D&D movie info, restructured main
movie info
01/08/97 - Version 2.4 Added Other DL Movie related sites
section, deleted unanswered questions
18/07/97 - Version 2.31 Added further production rumours,
funkified the design
11/12/96 - Version 2.3, Added Muppet DL news
06/12/96 - Version 2.2, Added Jim Henson stuff, Changed posting
frequency to monthly
30/09/96 - Version 2.11, Added extra stuff to the Intro.
31/07/96 - Version 2.1, Updated movie info/poll info
17/02/96 - Version 2.0, New movie Info
03/02/96 - Version 1.3, DL Movie Poll results are included.
27/09/96 - Version 1.2, DL Movie Poll Closes
17/12/95 - Version 1.2, Added TSR staff/Margaret Weis comments
08/09/95 - Version 1.1, Added Poll info.
02/09/95 - Version 1.0
18/08/95 - FAQ Created.
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WHERE CAN I GET THE LATEST COPY OF THIS FAQ?
The most latest version of this FAQ is always available at the
Dragonlance® Movie Homepage:
http://www.cinemagine-ltd.com/dlmovie/
You can also pick up a copy from the following places:
* USENET - Posted monthly to alt.fan.dragonlance, alt.answers,
news.answers
* FTP - available in ASCII from the MIT Usenet Archives (and
relevant mirrors),
ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/alt.answers/movies/dragonlance-faq
* EMAIL (last resort) - Send email to the author with the
subject MOVIE FAQ PLEASE. No need to put anything in the
body of the message.
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Contact Details (Contacting the Author)
It is a real shame that I am forced to go to these lengths, but
due to absolutely thoughtless people who do not respect email
privacy, I have had to put anti-spam protection on this FAQ.
To send email, simply drop the "NoSpam!" section from the address
below. If you are reading the HTML version of the FAQ, there is
no need to change anything. Just click on the link.
dlmovie@toaster.globalnet.NoSpam!.co.uk
What is spam? No, we're not talking tinned 'ham-like' products,
we're talking mass unsolicited commercial email. Unscrupulous
companies use bulk-extraction software to scan the Usenet and Web
for valid email addresses (ie. lines of text that fit the
user@somewhere.whatever format). They then compile all these
email addresses into massive mailing lists, which are then sold
off to whoever wants one.
The result is pretty much anyone who is willing to pay for a list
suddenly gains access to millions of email address, to which they
send their unsolicited commercial email, offering anything and
everything from Christian guidance to hardcore pornography. And
this is done entirely on the premise of exposure - no thought is
given to demographics, geographics or the fact that you never
asked for it in the first place. At the end of the day the bill
for this unwanted advertising is footed by ISPs and by you, the
end user, NOT by the spammers that send it. You don't believe me?
Check out http://spam.abuse.net for the complete rundown on why
spam should be outlawed, and while you're there join the
anti-spam campaign. Excuse the doom-preaching, but left
unchecked, spam could make using email and the Usenet impossible.
[Join the Anti-Spam Campaign - click here now!!]
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Gimme the current buzz regarding a Dragonlance® movie?
There is none.
According to the TSR FAQ "the deal for the Dragonlance movie fell
through." What deal? I hear you ask. Well, your guess is as good
as mine. My immediate suspicion is the "talks with a large
production company" rumour, however, it could be any of the
wonderful tit-bits that have been floating around over the past 2
years.
Another factor that may still be affecting potential movie deals
could be the recent Wizards of the Coast buy-out. TSR will
require time to settle into their new Seattle home, and probably
have more pressing tasks at hand (such as getting their products
out to the market place again) than diving into the movie game.
A little while ago, Margaret Weis did put forward one reassuring
thought: apparently Wizards have good relationships with several
film companies so a movie project could be a serious idea further
down the track.
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What other news/rumours have been floating around?
Lots. Welcome to the wonderful time in the genesis of a movie we
in the business refer to as 'development hell'. It can mean
anything from a producer simply having an idea in the back of
their head (and telling people "I'm developing a project at the
moment"), through to a company contracting a writer to bach out a
screenplay. Some of the buzz so far...
Fox & Dragonlance
At the beginning of 1996 Margaret Weis informed us that 'talks'
were being conducted between Fox and TSR regarding possible DL
projects. The emphasis here is on projects (the plural), as ideas
from telemovies, mini-series, features and even animation had
been mentioned in connection with this. The other important
questions regarding this potential partnership was, just which
part(s) of Dragonlance® would be used? The existing novels, the
game materials, both or something entirely new? Nothing has been
heard of these discussions for over a year now so it is probably
safe to assume that not much is happening there in the
foreseeable future.
Fox, Dragonheart & Dragonlance
One interesting idea that emerged from the Fox scenario involved
the film Dragonheart. It was suggested that Fox were closely
watching the release of this film (in the second half of 1996)
and planned to use it's success/failure to gauge the feasibility
of a DL project. The fantasy genre hasn't really been a big
money-spinner for any Studio in the past, the only notable
exception being Conan The Barbarian. Well Dragonheart only did
so-so business (something to do with a crap script perhaps?) so
this may well have cooled the Fox enthusiasm for a potentially
more expensive outing.
Jim Henson (Muppet) Dragonlance
Early 1997 came around and word on the street was that TSR and
Jim Henson Productions were conducting discussions which formed
the initial stages of a possible Henson-produced DL project.
Henson is of course famous for bringing us The Muppets, amongst
other things. There has since been no word as to how the buy-out
will/won't/did effect these discussions. See "I Heard Something
About Muppet DL" for more info.
'Large Production Company' & Dragonlance
Also at the beginning of 1997, rumours suggesting that TSR was
talking with a 'large production' company regarding a DL project
were rife on alt.fan.dragonlance. This company was reportedly not
Henson, the rumour stemming from a post by TSR staffer Steve
Miller. Nothing further has immerged from this and since then
several staff have departed TSR ranks. This is quite possibly the
"deal that fell through". Oh, there was also this small corporate
buy-out that happened recently too.
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But I heard that a D&D movie was definitely happening?
Yes, indeed there is. In late 1995 TSR sold the screen and
associated rights for Dungeons & Dragons® to a film company
called Sweet Pea Entertainment. This movie will focus on generic
D&D and will have nothing to do with Dragonlance®. Word is,
production has commenced on the film and you can expect to see it
in US theatres (or more likely the bargain bin at your local
video stores if insider buzz is correct) towards the end of 1998.
Check rec.games.frp.dnd or the TSR Product FAQ
(http://www.tsrinc.com/faq/faqproduct.html) for more information.
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I heard something about Jim Henson/Muppet DL?
On 25 October 1996 Margaret Weis dropped in this lovely post to
AFDL:
"Yes, dear friends, it's another rumor, to wit: the Jim
Henson people have expressed an interest in DL. Which
leads to the question:
Which of your favorite Muppets should play which
companion? I say Kermit as Tanis is a given."
Of course this spurred AFDL casting gurus to plunge headlong into
a massive thread regarding which Muppets should play which
characters.
Some insider info has now come to light. Apparently Jim Henson
Productions were in talks with TSR over the possibility of some
kind of DL project. One of the initial concerns raised by Henson
was that they consider DL to be "too macho" for their audience
(as Margaret pointed out, what ever that means?).
One thing that is guaranteed to send a chill down many a
DL-friendly spine is TSR's alleged response to this criticism,
one simple sentence of perhaps Cataclysmic (sorry, couldn't
resist :) proportions........
"It could be revised."
This response is rather interesting really as the animated movie
that was supposed to be happening reportedly died because Nelvana
(the production company) wanted to do something "unDragonlance"
and TSR didn't want to play ball. Does this mean that TSR has
decided to sell out after all and "revise" DL to fit a Henson
mould? Or will they try to force Henson Productions into using
the material to do something entirely new?
TSR were reportedly negotiating with Henson, but nothing seams to
have come of this, and with TSR's cryptic "the deal for the DL
movie fell through" message; who knows.
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Wasn't There An Animated Movie Coming Out?
Yes there was (note the past tense). Canadian animation company
Nelvana Studios was slated to produce an animated telemovie based
on the story gap between Dragons of Autumn Twilight (Chronicles
Vol.1) and Dragons of Winter Night (Chronicles Vol.2) - ie. the
Heroes' quest to recover of the Hammer of Kharas after freeing
the slaves from Pax Tharkas). Those of you who have played the
'classic' game modules will recognise this as the story behind
DL3: Dragons of Hope and DL4: Dragons of Desolation.
This deal has fallen through because, according to Margaret Weis,
"...they [Nelvana] wanted to go off in a bizarre direction that
was very unDragonlance."
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I Heard That ... Was Going To Play ... Character?
Obviously because there aren't any concrete plans for a DL
project at this stage, you heard crap.
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Who should play [insert character]?
An ongoing raging debate has existed on alt.fan.dragonlance for a
long time now about who should play X character in a hypothetical
DL movie. Suggestions have ranged from well thought out to down
right ludicrous (Jim Carey as Tasslehoff, Arnie and Danny DeVito
as Caramon and Raistlin!).
Ignoring the ridiculous suggestions, there are two main schools
of thought on which actors should play what roles in a
hypothetical DL movie. One side of the argument suggests that all
of the major characters should be filled by unknown actors who
look right for the role and can act. To me, this seems like the
more sensible option - why ruin the greatest part of DL, it's
characters by having someone playing one of the Heroes who is
better known in your mind for walking around with a 9mm Uzie and
saying "Hasta La Vista Baby"? By casting stars in these roles you
would most likely ruin the uniqueness that DL possesses (Caramon
would cease to be Caramon anymore, becoming instead just another
Schwarzenegger character).
The other side want to see some of their favorite stars playing
the roles of the Heroes. They advocate careful selection of stars
who look right for the parts. A few advantages lie in following
this path, particularly with regards to using star power to 1)
get enough money for a good movie to be made; and 2) make DL
appeal to a wider audience.
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The Official Dragonlance® Dream Cast Poll.
Before we get into this I'd like to make the fact perfectly clear
that the results of this poll itself DO NOT contain my views on
casting. Please do not email me with suggestions/flames for the
choices listed below. The final list is compiled ENTIRELY of
responses from users of alt.fan.dragonlance.
For the last few months of 1995 and January 1996 a poll was
conducted on alt.fan.dragonlance regarding the best actors to
play the characters in a hypothetical DL live action movie. The
poll closed on 22 January 1996.
Before we get into it, a couple of points.
Firstly, the poll was administered by Chris Pierson, and in
return for the more-than-it-looks amount of work involved, Chris
has reserved the right to list his personal choices with the
poll. I will also take the liberty of putting my general views on
the poll in this FAQ because, hey - I wrote it! (see the end of
this section).
Secondly, this poll was compiled solely from Internet user's
votes (a total of 285 valid ballots). As mentioned before, the
results do not reflect Chris' or my point of view in any way.
Finally, these results do not belong to any official casting list
whatsoever, nor are they being actively submitted to any official
parties - it's all for our interest and amusement only.
Live Characters
CHARACTER ACTOR CHRIS' CHOICE
Tanis Kevin Costner Eric Stoltz
Caramon Arnold Schwarzenegger Liam Neeson
Raistlin Brent Spiner John Malkovich
Sturm Christopher Lambert Patrick Bergin
Laurana Michelle Pfeiffer Robin Wright
Kitiara Demi Moore Michelle Forbes
Goldmoon Meg Ryan Meg Ryan
Riverwind Lou Diamond Phillips Wes Studi
Flint Danny De Vito Malcolm Dixon
Tasslehoff Elijah Wood James Robinson
Tika Nicole Kidman Helena Bonham Carter
Gilthanas Cary Elwes Cary Elwes
Verminaard Jeremy Irons Clancy Brown
Gunthar Gene Hackman James Cosmo
Astinus Patrick Stewart Christopher Walken
Eben Duncan Regehr Steve Buscemi
Theros Morgan Freeman Morgan Freeman
Toede Wallace Shawn Wallace Shawn
Elistan Charlton Heston Charlton Heston
Derek Dennis Quaid Harvey Keitel
Ariakas Rutger Hauer Rutger Hauer
Fizban Christopher Lloyd Richard Harris
Berem Brad Pitt Willem Dafoe
Silvara Drew Barrymore Drew Barrymore
Bupu Rhea Perlman Carol Kane
Solostaran Frank Langella Frank Langella
Alhana Courtney Cox Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio
Gnosh Kenny Baker Kenny Baker
Bakaris Sting Sting
Maquesta Angela Bassett Angela Bassett
Amothus John Cleese John Cleese
Zebulah Sean Connery Robert Duvall
Apoletta Halle Berry Halle Berry
Takhisis Teri Hatcher Sigourney Weaver
Otik Bob Hoskins Mike McShane
Lorac Donald Sutherland Donald Sutherland
Bertrem David Hyde-Pierce David Hyde-Pierce
Hederick Tommy Lee Jones Robbie Coltrane
Mishakal Moira Kelly Moira Kelly
Highbulp Jack Purvis Jack Purvis
Porthios Kiefer Sutherland Ian Hart
Pyros Sam Neill Sam Neill
Sestun Mike Edmonds Mike Edmonds
Crysania Sandra Bullock Madeleine Stowe
Dalamar Daniel Day Lewis Daniel Day Lewis
Voice Characters
CHARACTER ACTOR
CHRIS' CHOICE
Soth James Earl Jones Jeremy Irons
Gakhan Robert Englund Michael Wincott
Skie Jack Palance Jack Palance
Pyrite John Rhys-Davies John Rhys-Davies
Forestmaster Rene Russo Rene Russo
Khisanth Linda Hamilton Linda Hamilton
Matafluer Kathy Bates Kathy Bates
Alright. Comment time... Overall I think that the results of this
poll show a general lack of imagination possessed by many DL fans
on the Net. Films like Star Wars worked so well because they used
unknown actors who had the acting ability and look that the
director considered suitable for the relevant character. More
importantly, their personality and on/off-screen history did not
interfere with the portrayal of their character.
I believe the importance of the characters to DL cannot be
stressed enough - the skeleton story is the same as a million
other fantasy trilogies, but it is the unique, three-dimensional
characters that give it a life of its own. It would be a real
shame to see such a potentially brilliant story watered down (a
la Jurassic Park) and turned into mindless Hollywood garbage.
One thing that might work is to hand out minor roles as cameos to
stars who 1) can act, and 2) were right for the role.
Just my 2 steel pieces worth.
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11. Other Dragonlance Movie Related Sites
The Official TSR Product FAQ -
http://www.tsrinc.com/faq/faqproduct.html
Not specifically related to the movie idea, but it does
contain extremely brief info regarding films based on
AD&D/DL.
Dragonlance® Dream Soundtrack Page -
http://www.accent.net/sabin/dl-movie/
Raven has provided some Real Audio samples of music he
thinks would fit particular scenes from the books.
The Newsgroup alt.fan.dragonlance
Of course!
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This FAQ is © Copyright Benjamin Craig, 1995-98. All Rights
Reserved.
--
Benjamin Craig
London, UK.
Please drop "NoSpam69" from my email address before replying.
User Contributions:
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Last Update March 27 2014 @ 02:11 PM
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