Noelle Stevenson, creator of the new animated series ‘She-Ra and the Princesses of Power’ for Netflix, also recently began playing Dungeons & Dragons and considering the similar swords and sorcery motif of both properties, D&D made an impact on ‘She-Ra’ as Stevenson was developing the new spin on the classic ’80s cartoon/toy line. “I steal a lot from characters I’ve made from D&D,” she admitted.
For instance, at one point, Stevenson was writing a ‘She-Ra’ character who could teleport and she found herself pulling from her first D&D character, a “Tiefling warlock nightmare baby… She was a teenager who sold her soul to the devil to make her mom mad.” This character had “Misty Step” a power enabling her to teleport up to 30 feet in any direction in which she can see. Stephenson recounted a particular gameplay scenario that she later incorporated into the series”
“… I had two spell slots for Misty Step, so I got stuck a lot. I’d be like, ‘Guys, I can see through the keyhole. I’m going in!’ and then would get attacked by something. ‘I did not think this through!’”
Stephenson teases that her teleporting ‘She-Ra’ character will also face what happens “when someone who doesn’t have great impulse control and is like, ‘I’m gonna go!’ but then it’s like, ‘Oh no!’”
And expect that D&D influence to extend to other more familiar characters, including She-Ra herself, a young woman that finds herself able to transform from the more mild-mannered Adora into the powerful being She-Ra. As Stephenson previously explained, “As She-Ra, she doesn’t know how to act. This is all new to her, and it’s a little clumsy at first. It’s like an uncomfortable suit. She’s like, ‘Okay, here I am. I’m very glamorous, I’m very strong, people are looking up to me — because I’m very tall.’”
Crafting a remake of a beloved ’80s franchise has not gone smoothly as old school fans lashed out at the more cartoon-y, youthful designs of the new cartoon. But Stephenson isn’t letting the nonconstructive criticism worry her. “How does this [complaint] make me become better as a person, become better as a creator? If it doesn’t, let it go,” she said.
The voice cast of ‘She-Ra: and the Princesses of Power’ includes Aimee Carrero – Adora/She-Ra, Jordan Fisher – Seahawk, Christine Woods – Entrapta, Karen Fukuhara – Glimmer, Marcus Scribner – Bow, Krystal Joy Brown – Netossa, Merit Leighton – Frosta, and Vella Lovell – Mermista.
Netflix has not yet announced a launch date for this new series, so check back for updates.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
