Movies News Talk
Ryan Reynolds is leading the venerable arcade game Dragon's Lair as Netflix brings it to life on film. Though there have been some delays and changes, the project has generated great enthusiasm. Originally idea as an interactive experience, much as the game itself, the Dragon's Lair film is now being retooled into a standard linear narrative. Although the causes of this change are yet unknown, interactive movies' high production costs most likely have a role.
According to producer Roy Lee, Netflix is turning Dragon's Lair into a regular, straight-forward film. Originally, the idea was to design an interactive experience akin to Black Mirror's "Bandersnatch" episode whereby viewers could select the narrative's direction of travel. To allow all the possible routes, this idea needed a huge 400-page script. But Netflix has chosen a simpler, more conventional narrative style instead of this ambitious one.
Although a Dragon's Lair movie has been discussed since its 1980s debut, the current version was formally announced in 2020. After original animator Don Bluth failed to generate enough money via crowdsourcing, Netflix bought the rights. Ryan Reynolds became fast attached to the project, increasing the buzz. But the movie's production stopped several years until Roy Lee announced the new direction in July 2024. Originally intending to raise more money for the feature film, Bluth's idea was to produce a 10-minute teaser with $550,000 in crowdsourcing money. The movie's chronology is yet unknown and the start of production is yet unknown notwithstanding retooling.
Like the production of the Dragon's Lair movie, information about its cast is few. Ryan Reynolds, who is scheduled to play the game's protagonist, Dirk the Daring, is the only actor that has confirmed. There are only a few main characters in the game overall, with an eye toward supporting roles that well-known performers could occupy. Still, Princess Daphne's and the evil dragon Singe's roles are vital to the narrative and will probably be filled by performers of like stature as Reynolds.
The basic plot of Dragon's Lair is rather straightforward: valiant knight Dirk the Daring sets off a dangerous trip across a castle in order to free Princess Daphne from the grip of terrifying dragon Singe. The movie is supposed to keep this structure even adding fresh narratives and elements. The branching narrative structure of the game offers the movie lots of chances to choose the most interesting and exciting story threads. Though interactivity is lost, the retooling from a "choose-your-own-adventure" movie lets one create a more concentrated story.