Chris Pine is in talks to star in Paramount's long-awaited Dungeons & Dragons movie. Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley are set to direct the project, which they claim will be a fun and fresh approach. Goldstein previously said, "We want it to be fun. It's not an out and out comedy, but it is an action-fantasy movie with a lot of comedic elements and characters we hope people will really get into and enjoy watching their adventures." It seems that the directing duo were able to convince Pine to get it in on the fun.

The Dungeons & Dragons live-action movie is based on Hasbro's massively popular role-playing game from Wizards of the Coast. As of now, it seems that Chris Pine is close to signing a deal to star in the movie. In addition to directing, Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley also wrote the screenplay, which is based on a story by Michael Gilio. Hasbro/eOne and Paramount are producing together and providing the financing, with eOne distributing in the UK and Canada, and Paramount to the rest of the world. Chris Pine will be seen next in Wonder Woman 1984, which premieres on HBO Max and theaters on Christmas Day.

The Dungeons & Dragons movie has seen a lot of roadblocks over the past few years. Warner Bros and New Line originally tried several different angles, including one with director Chris McKay attached. The game has experienced amazing success in the 46 years since its debut. Millions of people have played the game over the years, and for some, the game is a way of life, which means getting the movie right is going to be difficult. Groups of players still meet up to battle it out, whether it's through the old school board game, or online through a video game adaptation.

Jonathan Goldstein previously spoke about the challenge of bringing such a famous franchise to the big screen. "The challenge is to approach it as you would a much smaller movie, and not get caught up in the fact that you have $100 million-plus to spend and start thinking about the biggest set pieces you can construct," he said. "Rather, focus on the stuff that makes it special and makes an audience invest - and that's the characters. That's in the stuff you don't need a lot of money to do right. That's how we approached The Flash and that's how we're approaching D&D." In other words, Goldstein and his partner know exactly how big of a challenge that they laid out for each other.

In preparation, the D&D directing duo met with Wizards of the Coast. Jonathan Goldstein says, "We haven't been accosted by players yet, but we are working with the Wizards of the Coast, the brand holders of D&D. They are the experts." That should be promising news for Dungeons & Dragons fans who have been waiting years for a proper adaptation. Deadline was the first to report on Chris Pine joining the cast of Dungeons & Dragons.