In the past, the world of toys, games and tabletop RPGs has been a challenging source material to adapt to the big screen. However, times have changed, and it seems like the right opportunity for the World of Darkness series to step out of the shadows once more to enchant the world with something undoubtedly alluring. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves raised the bar for tabletop role-playing game adaptations, but now, Vampire: The Masquerade deserves its own movie treatment.
Released in 1991 by White Wolf Publishing, Vampire: The Masquerade, part of the World of Darkness series, is one of the most influential tabletop RPGs of all time, among the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, Cyberpunk and Call of Cthulhu. Inspired by media like the 1987 classic film The Lost Boys, Vampire: The Masquerade presents a gothic fantasy that immerses players in a world of political intrigue, personal horror and complex narratives as they struggle to keep the secrets of the supernatural and their characters’ humanity intact. Having expanded into the mediums of video games, novels and even a television series, Vampire: The Masquerade has earned a dedicated fanbase and years of critical acclaim.
Why Vampire: The Masquerade Needs a Movie
As vampire stories make a comeback through media like AMC’s Interview with the Vampire and Vampire: The Masquerade attempts to expand with new audiences in mind, now more than ever, the series could use a big-screen adaptation. The World of Darkness series wields infinite possibilities and has yet to take full advantage of them the way Dungeons & Dragons has. As World of Darkness continually diverts its attention to smaller projects within gaming, if it ever hopes to accumulate bigger successes and more diverse audiences, it needs to be more ambitious, as even video games now embrace movie adaptations.
Vampire: The Masquerade, originating as a tabletop RPG, has primarily focused on gaming in recent years, but its ventures have had limitations. Failed attempts with MMORPGs and the tumultuous development of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 relegated the series to smaller-scale projects like visual novels. Although projects like Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodhunt and Vampire: The Masquerade – Justice show attempt to broaden the audience, the franchise’s ambition has diminished. Having once sported a full television series in Kindred: The Embraced, a movie seems like the perfect way to explore the rich mythology of Vampire: The Masquerade, captivate a greater audience, and revive interest similarly to the successful Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
Why It’s Perfect Timing for a World of Darkness Movie
In recent years, it’s evident that anything can make it to Hollywood, with movies based on Five Nights at Freddy‘s, Dungeons & Dragons, and even Uno. Audiences have entered a golden age of adaptations, where some properties have not only been successfully adapted but have also exceeded expectations and redeemed past failures, as seen with Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. With numerous successes, there’s hope that the World of Darkness brand could work as a dark gothic fantasy to compete with self-aware adaptations like Barbie. Moreover, it has the potential to raise the bar and set a new standard for films based on properties by bringing to life the allure, thrills and immersive world of White Wolf’s popular tabletop RPGs.
There’s an irony that a series based on keeping secrets and hiding in the shadows lacks a greater media presence. As World of Darkness attempts to expand its appeal, perhaps it’s time for it to look to theaters because among Vampire: The Masquerade‘s many lessons, one still holds true: Immortality doesn’t come easy, and sometimes, it’s only the most ambitious who see it through. Ultimately, movie adaptations have proven that storytelling is at the heart of RPGs like Dungeons & Dragons, and sometimes to change the game, something like Vampire: The Masquerade has to take a risk by rolling the dice.