The success of the new Dungeons & Dragons movie is sure to attract imitators. But I'm less interested in cod sword & sorcery projects than I am what this means for other role-playing game settings optioned to Hollywood. Just the the success of the MCU films brought forth interest in comics as a source for movie material (and not just superhero movies), so too might D&D's success shine a light on other exploitable RPG settings. In this we have to throw the recent Cyberpunk 2061 anime, which was also successful (though I realize many might think it's a video game property and not remember it as THE cyberpunk RPG of the 80s). So here I ask, what other settings might make for cool movies and/or TV series? And of course, the rules will state we can't use anything that is already franchised out TO an RPG publisher from books, movies and TV. That's obvious. Here are a few ideas.
Shadowrun
Let's start by combining the two recent successes like we're making RPG Peanut Butter Cups - the high fantasy of D&D + the gritty future of Cyberpunk = Shadowrun. Magic has returned smack dab during a dystopian period of evil corporations, cybernetic implants, and VR hacking missions. There was a well-remembered video game, so it might have some recognizability - it's a good title regardless. Might work best as an anime-type show or film. But would a genre mix be somehow too gimmicky for audiences?
Another game that mixes genres up: Deadlands (currently, that terrible Jonah Hex movie is what best emulates it)
World of Darkness
Underworld stole some of its thunder (and ideas), but say you start this shared world with a proper Vampire The Masquerade TV show. where you can do vampire politics justice, and slowly introduce Werewolves, Mages, Wraiths, Changelings, each monster "race" possibly getting its own spin-off over time. This is what the new Universal Monsters franchise could have been like if they had a streaming service at the ready. Would go a long way healing the wounds left by Underworld if they just went to TV directly and didn't bother with movies.
Another modern horror game I wouldn't mind seeing: Unknown Armies (great title and could be really funky)
GURPS Autoduel
Call it Car Wars or Autoduel, we'll need something like this when the Fast and Furious franchise comes to an end. Crazy vehicle action in a Mad Max-adjacent world, but with vehicular gladiatorial combat. That's an excuse for car battles, but our cast will be caught in the crossfire when city-states go to war, or they'll get stuck in heist schemes, etc. I think there's a market for this.
Another science-fiction I failed to mention: Where's Traveler on this list? I'm just not sure the name is enough of a seller, nor is there a storyline I can point to that would make it stand-out from other space opera movies and shows out there. 2300 A.D. is the more focused version, but even that is derivative of Starship Troopers and Aliens.
Paranoia
People obviously like their RPG movies not to take themselves too seriously, so how about an outright black comedy about a squad of Troubleshooters who can't trust anyone or anything (except the Computer, they have no choice!) and get massacred over and over (6 clones to a man) in amusing ways during a nonsense mission through Alpha Complex. I don't expect this would be franchised, but if it were, none of the cast would be expected to return. Maybe a stray clone can make a cameo or something.
Torg/Torg Eternity
This is my #1 wish, but not because I'm currently playing the game. I've always thought it was one of the coolest, most interesting settings in RPGdom. The scope of the Possibility Wars would likely make it better as a television series, but as a movie series, you could definitely focus on a Cosm for each film (except there's a big risk you won't make it). So TV series it is, with SEASONS focusing mostly on a single Cosm at a time before the cast of Storm Knights have to move on, but just like the game, the geopolitical situation keeps evolving and would act as a greater arc. The show would give you dinosaurs, cyberpunk, pulp heroes, technodemons, martial arts, horror, AND sword & sorcery, and of course, you'd have a varied cast that would keep all of them in play at all times even if you were somewhere else on Earth.
Another multi-genre game setting: Rifts (would work, but only really as animation, what with all of its anime stylings)
What do you think? What settings would you like to see on the big or small screen? I could be another color of D&D (would love a chapter that used Spelljammer, or a spin-off series about Planescape or Ravenloft), or a genre I barely touched on (Mechwarrior? Over the Edge? Bunnies & Burroughs?). Let me know in the comments!
Shadowrun
Let's start by combining the two recent successes like we're making RPG Peanut Butter Cups - the high fantasy of D&D + the gritty future of Cyberpunk = Shadowrun. Magic has returned smack dab during a dystopian period of evil corporations, cybernetic implants, and VR hacking missions. There was a well-remembered video game, so it might have some recognizability - it's a good title regardless. Might work best as an anime-type show or film. But would a genre mix be somehow too gimmicky for audiences?
Another game that mixes genres up: Deadlands (currently, that terrible Jonah Hex movie is what best emulates it)
World of Darkness
Underworld stole some of its thunder (and ideas), but say you start this shared world with a proper Vampire The Masquerade TV show. where you can do vampire politics justice, and slowly introduce Werewolves, Mages, Wraiths, Changelings, each monster "race" possibly getting its own spin-off over time. This is what the new Universal Monsters franchise could have been like if they had a streaming service at the ready. Would go a long way healing the wounds left by Underworld if they just went to TV directly and didn't bother with movies.
Another modern horror game I wouldn't mind seeing: Unknown Armies (great title and could be really funky)
GURPS Autoduel
Call it Car Wars or Autoduel, we'll need something like this when the Fast and Furious franchise comes to an end. Crazy vehicle action in a Mad Max-adjacent world, but with vehicular gladiatorial combat. That's an excuse for car battles, but our cast will be caught in the crossfire when city-states go to war, or they'll get stuck in heist schemes, etc. I think there's a market for this.
Another science-fiction I failed to mention: Where's Traveler on this list? I'm just not sure the name is enough of a seller, nor is there a storyline I can point to that would make it stand-out from other space opera movies and shows out there. 2300 A.D. is the more focused version, but even that is derivative of Starship Troopers and Aliens.
Paranoia
People obviously like their RPG movies not to take themselves too seriously, so how about an outright black comedy about a squad of Troubleshooters who can't trust anyone or anything (except the Computer, they have no choice!) and get massacred over and over (6 clones to a man) in amusing ways during a nonsense mission through Alpha Complex. I don't expect this would be franchised, but if it were, none of the cast would be expected to return. Maybe a stray clone can make a cameo or something.
Torg/Torg Eternity
This is my #1 wish, but not because I'm currently playing the game. I've always thought it was one of the coolest, most interesting settings in RPGdom. The scope of the Possibility Wars would likely make it better as a television series, but as a movie series, you could definitely focus on a Cosm for each film (except there's a big risk you won't make it). So TV series it is, with SEASONS focusing mostly on a single Cosm at a time before the cast of Storm Knights have to move on, but just like the game, the geopolitical situation keeps evolving and would act as a greater arc. The show would give you dinosaurs, cyberpunk, pulp heroes, technodemons, martial arts, horror, AND sword & sorcery, and of course, you'd have a varied cast that would keep all of them in play at all times even if you were somewhere else on Earth.
Another multi-genre game setting: Rifts (would work, but only really as animation, what with all of its anime stylings)
What do you think? What settings would you like to see on the big or small screen? I could be another color of D&D (would love a chapter that used Spelljammer, or a spin-off series about Planescape or Ravenloft), or a genre I barely touched on (Mechwarrior? Over the Edge? Bunnies & Burroughs?). Let me know in the comments!
Comments
And I've long thought that the Star Trek/Star Wars RPGs would make great TV shows or movies; someone needs to get on that :)
Mike W.