Joe Manganiello is developing a movie based around the Dungeons & Dragons game.
The actor has appeared in many fantastical projects throughout his career, including playing Alcide Herveaux in TV series True Blood and Flash Thompson in 2002’s Spider-Man, and is also gearing up to portray villain Deathstroke in the upcoming The Batman film.
In spite of his busy schedule, Joe has revealed that he is a big fan of role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, and one of his current ambitions is to adapt the concept for the big screen. In fact, he has already co-written a prospective script with one of his playwright friends.
“The big one I want to make is Dungeons & Dragons,” he said during a recent chat on MTV’s Happy Sad Confused podcast. “Last year with a playwright I went to Carnegie Mellon (University) with, we actually made a draft of a film, and now we’re talking to all the right parties. I had a two-day creative summit with the Wizards of the Coast… (we talked) about where the movie could go or (as a) TV series, products, synergy, the whole deal.”
Should Joe, 40, be able to get his Dungeons & Dragons idea into production, he would be keen to contribute as both an actor and a producer. And he would ensure that as well as spectacle and special effects, any potential script would include an engaging narrative.
“I think when a movie is about something human and real emotionally, people are wanna go see it,” he shared. “And then if you get some dragons and breathing fire, I mean, hey.”
As of 2016, another Dungeons & Dragons movie was reported to be in development at Warner Bros. The studio had engaged Rob Letterman to direct, David Leslie Johnson to write the screenplay, while The Fault in Our Stars’ actor Ansel Elgort was in talks to star.
