It’s been twenty years since the highly popular Dungeons & Dragons made its first of several ventures into film. The influential role-playing game from TSR, Inc. and Wizards of the Coast is now back in the news just as Entertainment One (eOne) officiated its first look agreement with producer and former Marvel Studios executive, Jeremy Latcham.
The move follows eOne’s acquisition by Hasbro who began their purchase last summer and completed in December to the tune of $3.8 billion. eOne’s announcement on Wednesday touts that the move will further power eOne’s ability to produce wide-appeal film and television content designed for a global audience from Hasbro’s vast library of IP.
The past decade saw the potential start of development toward a reboot initially with Warner Bros. after a legal battle resolved between Hasbro and Sweetpea Entertainment in 2015. By 2017, the reigns were eventually handed over to Paramount who then attempted a hopeful July 2021 release which looks like a no-go given how much time has passed.
Spider-Man: Homecoming writers Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are attached to direct the film from their script, with eOne and Paramount co-producing on this, the companies’ first project together since eOne’s acquisition by Hasbro. Latcham, who exec produced Bad Times At The El Royale for 20th Century Fox, will serve on Dungeons & Dragons as exec producer.
“Jeremy is a massively talented producer with a track record of creating true-to-brand films with size and scope that resonate with audiences and excel on a global scale,” said eOne’s President of Film Nick Meyer. “In our exciting new era with Hasbro, we’re thrilled to begin this new partnership and look forward to sharing the amazing projects that are to come.”
Latcham adds, “Nick and the entire eOne team have welcomed me into the fold with open arms. Hasbro’s incredibly rich library of beloved brands in addition to the opportunity to develop original material makes for a very exciting next step for me as a creative producer. My passion for telling stories steeped in heart, humor and spectacle aligns with D&D’s decades of immersive, adventure-driven storytelling, and I am beyond excited to help John and Jonathan, eOne, Paramount, and Wizards of the Coast bring this rich world to filmgoing audiences.”
The project also reunites Latcham with Goldstein and Daley since Spider-Man: Homecoming on which he served as exec producer. Latcham previously spent thirteen years at Marvel Studios with further credits such as The Avengers, Avengers: Age Of Ultron and Guardians Of The Galaxy, and also served as associate producer on Iron Man, and as co-producer on Iron Man 2.
Among others, Hasbro is behind additional film properties that include Transformers, which is currently stoking interest in an animated Cybertron prequel by Joe Cooley, and a pair of live-action follow-ups still in development, one of which has been dated for a June 24, 2022 release.
The comapny is also behind the upcoming Snake Eyes: G.I. Joe Origins feature releasing in October from Paramount with Henry Golding (Crazy Rich Asians) and Andrew Koji (TV series Warrior) starring, as well as a Snake Eyes follow-up from potential scribes Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter’s Borys Kit last Friday.