Ryan Reynolds in talks with Netflix for Dragon's Lair live-action feature

(Image credit: 20th Century Fox)

Ryan Reynolds and Netflix are reportedly working out a deal to adapt the classic 1980s arcade game Dragon's Lair for a live-action feature. According to THR, Reynolds is in talks to produce and star in the series.

Reportedly, it took nearly a year for Netflix to secure the rights to Dragon's Lair, which in its heyday of crowded arcades was the most popular video game in the US. Dan and Kevin Hageman, who wrote The Lego Movie and last year's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, are said to be penning the script.

You probably remember Dragon's Lair as the coin-devouring interactive cartoon from the arcades, but there are other variations released after that 1983 classic. There's the painfully-challenging Dragon's Lair platformer that released on the NES in 1990, the Dragon's Lair Trilogy on the Wii, Dragon's Lair 3D: Return to the Lair on Gamecube, Xbox, and PS2, and a bunch more.

It sounds like the Dragon's Lair Netflix adaptation will be based on the classic arcade game. The feature film marks the latest in a trio of video game-inspired projects from Ryan Reynolds, starting with last year's Detective Pikachu and continuing with the upcoming Free Guy, which stars Reynolds as an NPC in a video game.

Not much is known about the plot at this point, but the arcade game is about a knight called Dirk the Daring on a quest to save Princess Daphne from an evil dragon. With Reynolds involved in the production, I wouldn't be surprised to see a clever, genre-bending homage to the game's legacy and the nostalgic decade it defined.

Dragon's Lair is still likely a ways away from releasing on Netflix. For what's nearer on the horizon, here are the most exciting upcoming movies of 2020.

Jordan Gerblick

After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked as a copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. Now, as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer, I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.