Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian-American actor and comedian. He is set to star as Dirk the Daring in the as-yet unproduced Dragon's Lair: The Movie.
Involvement with Dragon's Lair franchise[]
In 2018, Don Bluth and Lavalle Lee began pursuing new opportunities to license the Dragon's Lair franchise for a live-action movie, including additional project pitches to Netflix and Apple+, during which time initial conversations were had with producer Roy Lee about Ryan Reynolds’ potential involvement.[1] After Netflix negotiations stalled during 2020, a deal was finally inked with Reynolds signed to play the role of Dirk.[2]
In a 2022 exclusive interview with Collider, Reynolds teased the Netflix project as an ambitious and innovation approach:
I can say that Netflix has approached Dragon's Lair in a spirit of partnership that I've never really seen before. They're taking such a swing with it. How we're approaching it and attacking it and what we're doing with it, I think will be pretty surprising to a lot of people. In its scope, I mean. And I'm not sure, but I don't think anyone's ever tried it before quite like this. So I'm curious to see how it'll go. It really intersects in a unique way with technology that I've never been privy to in the entertainment industry. So they're taking some kind of pretty innovative stabs at this particular IP in a way that I'm blown away with. And I'm excited that they're as along for the ride as we are.[3]
During the 2024 San Diego Comic Con, producer Roy Lee on a panel discussion with Collider stated that the project was being reconfigured as a "straight, linear movie" rather than the originally envisioned "choose your own adventure" interactive format. Lee revealed: "We had a 400-page script because you could go different directions and go different ways, and Ryan Reynolds was gonna play Dirk the Daring, but they pulled the plug on that format."[4]
References[]
- ↑ Don Bluth, Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life (Dallas: Smart Pop Books, 2022), 337–341
- ↑ Don Bluth, Somewhere Out There: My Animated Life (Dallas: Smart Pop Books, 2022), 349–351
- ↑ Matt Villei, "Ryan Reynolds Says Netflix Is Taking a Big Swing With 'Dragon's Lair' Live-Action Adaptation", Collider.com (November 8, 2022)
- ↑ Adam Blevins, Netflix’s ‘Dragon’s Lair’ Movie Gets an Update From Its Producer: "We’re Reconfiguring It", Collider.com (July 26, 2024)