After shepherding The Muppets to the big screen, James Bobin is about to enter the Dragon’s Lair. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the director is currently in talks to take the reins of Ryan Reynolds‘s Netflix movie based on the legendary 1980s arcade game. Reynolds remains attached as the star of the long-gestating project and will produce alongside Roy Lee of Vertigo Entertainment in conjunction with Trevor Engelson of Underground Films. If he officially signs on, it will mark a reunion with the Deadpool & Wolverine star and the director after Bobin was previously attached to helm Reynolds‘ Clue remake.

Reynolds has been trying to get Dragon’s Lair off the ground at Netflix since 2020. Originally, the classic game’s producer, director, and animator, Don Bluth, also known for his extensive animation work at Disney and beyond, was tapped to helm the project alongside Gary Goldman, though both now remain solely as producers with Jon Pomeroy. Last year at Collider‘s Producers on Producing panel at SDCC, Lee told Editor-in-Chief Steve Weintraub that the script was undergoing an overhaul to make a more straightforward project rather than the ambitious, choose-your-own-adventure format that would’ve mimicked the games. “We had a 400-page script because you could go different directions and go different ways, and Ryan Reynolds was gonna play Dirk the Daring, but they pulled the plug on that format,” he said. Assuming nothing has changed since then, Bobin will be working with material from the same writers who crafted the original vision, including Goldman alongside Dan and Kevin Hageman.

Dragon’s Lair will still follow Dirk the Daring, the brave knight who was frequently subjected to horrific demises drawn to life by Bluth. In the games, players were tasked with navigating Dirk through the titular lair, avoiding traps and enemies to reach and rescue Princess Daphne from the clutches of the evil wizard Mordroc and the dragon Singe. Released in 1983, the first installment became an immediate smash hit in arcades for its ground-breaking movie-quality animation that utilized LaserDisc to give players control over what happened. Its success spawned multiple sequels, a short-lived animated series, comics, and numerous ports to keep the unique relic of the era alive on modern consoles.

What Else Has James Bobin Done Before ‘Dragon’s Lair’?

For Bobin, Dragon’s Lair seems like a good fit given his penchant for adventurous, whimsical projects. He first broke out as a director on Flight of the Conchords, earning eleven Emmy nominations as part of the comedy series. That success led him to the Muppets, where he would direct Kermit and pals through their BAFTA-nominated 2011 feature and its follow-up, Muppets Most Wanted. In more recent years, following his stint helming the Isabela Merced-led Dora and the Lost City of Gold, he’d turn back to television with more Disney fantasy fare, most recently directing two episodes in both seasons of Percy Jackson and the Olympians.

Dragon’s Lair is still without a release date.

via Collider