The classic 1980s video game franchise, Dragon’s Lair, created by Rick Dyer and Don Bluth is getting a live-action treatment for Netflix and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool, Detective Pikachu) is in talks to produce and star in the picture.
The feature adaptation is being produced by Roy Lee — whose credits include the LEGO and IT movies as well as co-producer credits on all three How to Train Your Dragon installments — through his Vertigo Entertainment label, as well as Trevor Engelson of Underground, Bluth, Gary Goldman and Jon Pomeroy. Daniel and Kevin Hageman (The Croods 2) are writing the screenplay.
Dragon’s Lair debuted in 1983 and made a memorable cameo in the first episode of Netflix’s Stranger Things 2 in 2017. Previously, the game was adapted into an animated TV series. Fantasy writer Alan Dean Foster attempted to make a film back in the 80s’ but the project fizzled out.
Bluth, who has produced and directed countless animated films over the years including The Secret of NIMH, All Dogs Go To Heaven and An American Tail, partnered with long-time collaborator Gary Goldman on a Kickstarter for an animated Dragon’s Lair film back in 2015. The goal was to raise $250,000 to produce a teaser for the movie, but the Kickstarter didn’t raise the necessary funds. They moved the project to Indiegogo where it eventually earned twice that amount.
Now Netflix, after a year of negotiations, will produce and release the movie as live-action rather than animated.
