Dungeons & Dragons Movie Will Reportedly Center on Eye of Vecna

The upcoming Dungeons & Dragons movie will reportedly involve an artifact that fills D&D players with instinctive dread: the Eye of Vecna. ComicBook.com reports that the film, which Paramount is developing based on the iconic role-playing game, will involve a group of adventures seeking the legendary artifact that has been present in the game since the original edition of the game in 1976.

The Eye of Vecna is an artifact that many a DM has based stories and campaigns around for their games. Vecna is one of D&D’s most well-known villainous characters. While his story has evolved slightly over the years, he has always been a powerful undead lich. The original appearance of the Eye and Hand of Vecna was in 1976’s Eldritch Wizardry and it was said that Vecna was long-since destroyed. He eventually became an antagonist in the world of Greyhawk, reimagined as a lich who attained demigod status. His hand and eye, which were separated from him, are able to be applied to characters to grant great powers at an equally great cost.

According to the site, the adventures will consist of Raven Hightower, a warrior haunted by his sister’s death who wields a magic flaming sword; Hack Karroway, a “half-dragon”; a gnome thief named Olivan Trickfoot; and Alyssa Steelsong, a masked warrior. The chief villain is Razer Horlbar, a drow male who kept Raven and his sister as slaves, as well as a female tiefling named Damala and “The Beast,” a brutish warrior.

Paramout is also said to be looking for a male actor to provide the voice of Palarandusk. Palarandusk is a character specific to the Forgotten Realms setting, which was previously said to be the setting of the film. Known as the “Unseen Protector,” Palarandusk is a male gold dragon who lives in the Sword Mountains in the northern Sword Coast, which is the location of some of Forgotten Realms’ most well-known locales such as Waterdeep and Neverwinter. Palarandusk watches over the gnome village of Ieirithymbul and considers the inhabitants his children. Alyssa Steelsong is described as “set to take over Palarandusk’s role when the dragon dies.”

Vecna has an indirect connection to a known actor in True Blood and Justice League’s Joe Manganiello. Manganiello, a devoted D&D player who has been open about his love of the game, appeared on Critical Role playing his dragonborn paladin Arkhan the Cruel. Arkhan ended up with Vecna’s hand and, in the most recent D&D campaign Baldur’s Gate: Descent Into Avernus, Arkhan is canonized as a character within the Forgotten Realms.

Dungeons & Dragons will be directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, and is set to release in 2021.