Netflix Making A 'Dragon's Lair' Movie Based On Legendary Arcade Game, Ryan Reynolds To Star And Produce
If you didn't grow up playing video games in arcades, you may only be familiar with Dragon's Lair from its appearance in the second season of Stranger Things. But the medieval-themed fantasy adventure was once the most popular video game in the country, and now Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) is set to star in a live-action film adaptation. Get the details below.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Reynolds will star in and produce the Dragon's Lair movie, with Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment and Trevor Engelson of Underground Entertainment also producing. Dan and Kevin Hageman, who have writing credits on Hotel Transylvania, The LEGO Movie, and Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, will write the script.
Dragon's Lair was released in 1983 and quickly became a mega-hit. The game was largely comprised of sequences animated by famed ex-Disney animator Don Bluth, who you know from his directorial efforts An American Tail, The Land Before Time, All Dogs Go to Heaven, and many more. (The 83-year-old Bluth will serve as a producer on the film adaptation.) Here's how the game was described to potential players:
Dragon's Lair: The fantasy adventure where you become a valiant knight, on a quest to rescue the fair princess from the clutches of an evil dragon. You control the actions of a daring adventurer, finding his way through the castle of a dark wizard, who has enchanted it with treacherous monsters and obstacles. In the mysterious caverns below the castle, your odyssey continues against the awesome forces that oppose your efforts to reach the Dragon's Lair. Lead on, adventurer. Your quest awaits!
The lead character is a knight named Dirk the Daring, who wasn't portrayed as being particularly daring; he was more of a scaredy-cat than a fearless warrior. If Reynolds plays a version of that character, his signature humor should be a good fit for that type of role. It's also his second video game movie in a short time span: he's currently set to star in this year's Free Guy, in which he plays a guy who discovers he's a background character in a video game. Here's a playthrough of the game's action:
After nearly a year of negotiating, Netflix has finally walked away with the rights to the Dragon's Lair film, marking the third time they'll be working with Reynolds after Michael Bay's 6 Underground and the upcoming Red Notice. Here's the clip of Dragon's Lair from Stranger Things season 2: