How the 2000 first big-screen adaptation of Dungeons and Dragons originated was almost as fantastical as the RPG itself. Indeed, a decade earlier, a 19-year-old obsessive named Courtney Solomon had brazenly enquired about obtaining the rights to turn his favorite board game into a feature film. Remarkably, despite his tender age and complete lack of Hollywood experience, publisher TSR, Inc. eventually handed them over. Unfortunately, this dream scenario soon turned into a nightmare.
It would take years for the project to start gathering pace, with Solomon spending 18 months seeking further funding alone. There was also a struggle to find a director — James Cameron, Francis Ford Coppola, and Stan Winston were just a few of the hotshots who chose not to act on their early interest — and a studio willing to take a punt on a genre which pre-Harry Potter/Lord of the Rings et al had become box office poison.
