You’ll have seen the news Matthew Lillard and Bill Rehor have a new D&D show on eOne and Wizards of the Coast‘s new Dungeons and Dragons Adventures streaming channel.
Matthew Lillard and Bill Rehor are two of the co-founders of book badasses Beadle and Grimm’s, and for non-gamers, Matthew might be best known as an actor with titles like Scooby Doo, Scream, Five Nights At Freddy’s.
eOne is a TV and film studio that Hasbro bought just before nothing could be made for TV or films as the lockdown hit, which made the D&D movie and was then shuttered and sold to Lionsgate. Finally, Freevee is Amazon’s new channel and Plex combines movies and streaming.
Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!
The name of Matthew Lillard and Bill Rehor’s show is Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! because of DEATH. To fit a show into a schedule how the pair came up with the DCC Funnels like innovation of killing everyone off.
Except in Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill! we’re dealing Level 1 D&D characters and they’re up against a classic bid-bad.
An interview with Matthew Lillard and Bill Rehor
Bronwen is gutted we didn’t ask more questions about the Boulets, and Girdy regrets missing the chance to make a D&D Bulette joke with it.
Does everyone die all the time in “Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!”?
Matt: EVERY TIME.
Bill: That was a big debate early on. There were people in the room who really wanted to provide the audience some hope by letting someone live every now and then. And I understood that point of view. But here was what we settled on: if characters live some of the time, it’s always going to feel like defeat when they don’t. But if they NEVER live, then the victory comes not in cheating death, but in how you act in the face of death when it comes for you. Watch Jasmine in episode one. She finds such a brave, selfless and noble way to act in her final moments. It’s genuinely moving. And you don’t get that moment if the focus is on trying to be the person who gets away. Even Captain Kirk came to realize that winning the Kobayashi Maru test is the surest way to fail it.
The title of your new show is clearly a reference to a classic exploitation movie, so can we expect more pop culture references and in-jokes as the show progresses?
Matt: Yes, sorta of. As producers, we emphasized the importance of taking the game itself very seriously. We believe that the humor should arise from the high-stakes situations and the actions of the heroes. While there’s always room for an occasional anachronistic joke, we didn’t want to build the show solely around pop culture references.
Bill: It is a very freeform, improvised show. So you never know what will come out of peoples’ mouths.
What else can we expect from “Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!”?
Matt: Diverse tables. General hilariousness. A smart and funny host. Incredible accompaniment. Incredibly stupid Matthew Lillard moments and oddly profound acts of heroism. Plus really cool miniature monsters. Oh, also in one show we feature real magic — won’t tell you which one.
Bill: I think people will be surprised by the variety of stories our DMs have to tell. It’s a very silly premise, having first level characters fight all-powerful monsters, but that doesn’t mean it’s one-note. There are an infinite number of stories to tell about the unfairness of life and the certainty of death, because isn’t that what we’re all facing every day? Don’t get me wrong, it’s genuinely hilarious, but a lot of that comedy comes from a pretty personal and profound place.
Does the baddie ever turn out just to be a bloke in a costume and mask?
Bill: Only if it’s a bloke in a mask who also has legendary actions.
Matt: There are some shocking twists and turns… but Old Man Smithers never makes an appearance.
How did you get “Faster, Purple Worm! Kill! Kill!” on Freevee and Plex?
Matt: You find the Dungeons & Dragons adventures channel and search for it on that channel. Or ask someone young and smart to help you.
Editor note: Ahem – This is not what Team Geek Native meant. We’re curious about how the conversations with WotC, or was it eOne, started. Who pitched who first? Of course, we’re also all up for a bit of fun and honest misunderstandings leading to quirky answers – and especially for a bit of cheeky sarcasm!
Would the show still be worth doing if you had to compete for attention with Twitch and YouTube?
Matt: I mean, the single biggest distraction is life itself? Phones, kids, work, wars in the Middle East… so we’re not really worried about other streaming services.
Bill: It’s an absolute joy to do, and would be no matter what the platform was. The benefit of being on D&D Adventures is that it’s given us a top-notch crew and a lot of credibility when it comes to casting.
Geek Native is based in Scotland so we’re awfully curious about Quest’s End Whiskey and your views on the magic drink. Do you think whiskey should be chill filtered or not?
Matt: I feel like this is a “gotcha” sorta question. My opinion is you should do whatever works best for the flavor. If it needs no filtration and won’t floc that’s awesome, but filtration can also be a tool to have a crystal clear whiskey and (very lightly) smooth out the Juice.
Since the Screen Actors Guild had suggested earlier that people shouldn’t be promoting movies this Halloween, can you now share what your costumes were?
Matt: For Halloween? I went as the guy from SCREAM, just older.
Matthew, how did you get involved with Dragula? Seeing you with the Boulets has made Geek Native’s co-director Bronwen mighty jealous!
Matt: They’re friends. I was in over my head with that episode. Who knew drag could be so filthy?
Do either of you have any other exciting projects in the works that you can tell us about? (If so, please do!)
Bill: Beadle & Grimm’s has its first completely original game called Ring of Chaos that just started its Kickstarter campaign. We’re very proud of it and would really appreciate your support.
Matt: I just did a film called Life of Chuck with Mike Flanagan. That was super fun. Also, my company Find Familiar Spirits also has lots planned for 2024!
Thanks to Matt and Bill – but not the Purple Worm!
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