Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley — the duo behind New Line’s sleeper hit Game Night — are set to direct the feature based on the popular fantasy role-playing game from Wizards on the Coast. Goldstein and Daley also wrote the latest version of the script based on a previous draft by Michael Gilio.
Rodriguez, best known for her long-standing work in the Fast & Furious movies, and Smith, who starred in Pokemon Detective Pikachu, have closed deals and will be part of the wizarding campaign that Paramount and eOne are mounting.
Hasbro/eOne and Paramount are jointly producing and financing, with eOne distributing in the U.K. and Canada, and Paramount distributing rest of world.
Jeremy Latcham is producing via his deal with eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment arm. Hasbro’s Brian Goldner is also producing.
The game is known for its war games, treasure hunts, camaraderie and reversals of fortune, all in a fantasy setting that combines humans, elves, orcs and hundreds of other creatures. The game famously uses multi-sided dice in gameplay and is overseen by a host known as the Dungeon Master. It is not known whether the story is a straight up fantasy or incorporates the storytelling and game-playing aspects.
Rodriguez has the latest Fast movie, F9, in the can for May 28, 2021 release, although the movie has shifted numerous times and may so again. The actress, who also appeared in Steve McQueen’s Widows, is repped by CAA, David Markman and DLA Piper.
Smith recently wrapped shooting Jurassic World: Dominion for Universal in which he reprises his character from 2018’s Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom. The actor last year starred opposite Elle Fanning in the romancer, All the Bright Places, and is repped by WME, the Kohl Group and Sloane Offer.
