Was Bright Intentionally Based on the Shadowrun RPG?
So, I watched the Netflix original movie, Bright (link to the trailer) last night. While I wish they could've done it without quite so much profanity, I actually really enjoyed it, maybe because I had virtually zero expectations going into it. It was a lot funnier than I would have anticipated (Jakoby's naivete was great fuel for a number of jokes), and the action sequences were pretty fun to watch.
Even more, though, watching it made me feel very nostalgic for a table-top RPG I played a little bit back in the late 90's called Shadowrun by FASA. Mythical creatures like elves, dwarves, orks, centaurs, faeries, and even dragons are all placed in a more urban and technological setting than we are used to seeing them. Magic is something that everyone fears, respects, and desires simultaneously. From the linked Wikipedia article:
Shadowrun takes place several decades in the future (2050 in the first edition, currently 2079). The end of the Mesoamerican Long Count calendar ushered in the "Sixth World", with once-mythological beings (e.g. dragons) appearing and forms of magic suddenly emerging. Large numbers of humans have "Goblinized" into orks and trolls, while many human children are born as elves, dwarves, and even more exotic creatures.
While the movie didn't get into the actual reason for the return of such creatures, the setting is very reminiscent of the game. As I've looked around the Internet, I've also seen a couple of articles suggesting that there's already a sequel planned, so I'm really interested to know more about this history, and if it is intended to (at least, superficially) line up with the world created for Shadowrun. While there aren't any "cyberpunk" elements overtly expressed in the movie, with the upcoming sequel, I have to wonder if that's simply a matter of the specific story being told and its characters.
Can anyone provide specific sources that would confirm or deny the relationship between Bright and Shadowrun?
Best Answer
The production rights of Shadowrun are currently owned by Catalyst Game Labs, a subsidiary of InMediaRes Productions. Bright was produced by Overbrook Entertainment, Trigger Warning Entertainment, Grand Electric, and was distributed by Netflix. None of the former companies have any affiliation with the latter.
I'd say what you're seeing is simply a cosmetic connection between two otherwise unrelated universes. I could say such works as The Matrix, Aeon Flux, Blade Runner, Dredd, Johnny Mneumonic, etc. all share similarities with Shadowrun. But that certainly doesn't mean there is any kind of tangible connection between them. I mean sure, Bright and Shadowrun both have magic and orcs, but then so does Lord of the Rings.
If you look at Shadowrun more closely, I think you'll see they're far more different than they are similar.
- Shadowrun takes place in a dystopian future where Megacorporations have achieved ultimate power and influence over society. They are the power brokers. They command their own private armies and regularly engage in criminal activities (corporate espionage, murder, extortion, bribery, etc.)
- Organized crime is rampant, and is heavily controlled by the corporate landscape; as are the corrupt police forces.
- The environment is the very definition of cyberpunk. A large portion of the population is equipped with cybernetic implants to augment their physical abilities, to the point where some are more machine than man. The line between organic and cybernetic has grown quite fuzzy.
- The contrast between rich and poor is extremely distinct. The general population is impoverished; the rich live like kings while everyone else lives in filth and squalor.
- Magic is one staple of Shadowrun's combat system, but so is combat in the matrix (a traversable, digital realm often explored and exploited by hackers to circumvent corporate security systems.)
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Is Bright inspired by Shadowrun?
Bright is basically a Shadowrun-skinned movie that tech wise is comparative to the Awakening era of Shadowrun's history. This modern day, low-tech setting when compared to the 2080's cyberpunk era is not enough of a difference as far as originality is concerned.What is Bright based off of?
The film is set in an alternate present in which humans and mythical creatures co-exist and details an LAPD police officer and his orc partner confronting racism and police corruption while protecting a magic wand and the elf girl who wields it....Bright (film)BrightBudget$90\u2013106.2 million14 more rowsWhat book is the film Bright based on?
No, Bright is not based on any book. Bright is an original work in the sense that it is not an adaptation of a novel with a similar name or premise such as Blade Runner and Do Androids Dream, The Lord of the Rings and The Lord of the Rings or Arrival and Story of your Life.Is shadowrun an RPG?
Shadowrun is a fantastic setting and one of the best RPG systems ever.Bright Was Not A Shadowrun Movie
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Answer 2
One thing that no one's mentioned yet is the history. Shadowrun experiences a massive change sometime around now that results in orcs, goblins, elves, etc bursting onto the scene.
Bright seems to imply a long history of these races living amongst one another. Almost like Middle Earth grew up with all the other races still around. They keep mentioning some major event 2000 years ago with a Dark Lord, and how the orcs were long time enemies of the other races.
To me this alone ends the idea that Bright is Shadowrun, although it's clearly derivative, which is fine by me.
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