It's Time For a League of Legends Show
For the past month I have been reading the intricate lore of League of Legends, listening to the beautiful music, and watching the stunning cinematics. I've come to the conclusion that it's high time Riot made a League of Legends show. I believe they have everything in place to get this idea going if they haven't already.
Now, a little background on me first. I just started playing League of Legends this season. I instantly fell in love with the fact that every match is something new. Every single game is a new experience completely separate from the last. I started growing curious about the champs I play: Olaf, Malphite, Nasus, and Rammus. So I started reading their lore and I was instantly hooked on EVERYTHING. And so I decided I would take on this project: trying to map out a show for Riot to go off on.
I've broken the pitch into two sections: a Q&A that I made up to answer some logistics, and a ROUGH blueprint of the direction I see the show heading in.
I also have three episodes of script written out but I'm going to keep that to myself for now. I will happily post it if you guys want though.
I. Q&A
Q: Why a League of Legends show?
A: I, like most League of Legends players, love the champs that I play. I'm fascinated by their backgrounds. I think most, if not all, players would love to have their champs and the world of Valoran brought to life.
Q: Why not a League of Legends movie?
A. I don't believe it would be possible to capture the magic of League of Legends and the complexity of the lore within a movie or even a trilogy. There's too much risk of leaving stuff and then not performing well in the box office. With a show, everything can be included which was what us fans would love.
Q: How to release this show?
I believe entering a partnership with a company like Netflix, Hulu, or YouTube to release the show is the best course of action. Cable television may still have a large viewership, but that viewership is not a large portion of the League fan base. A majority of the fan base stream their entertainment off of their laptops which are powerful enough to play the game.
Q: What will be the style of the show?
A: That is a loaded question with multiple answers so here's my breakdown.
- Animation
I believe that CGI is the best course of action for a League show. Motion capture has come a long way and you can create very lifelike characters while not being forced to accept limitations of live action. The world can be beautifully crafted how the animators see fit with only their imagination as the limit. Not to mention CGI cuts down heavily on the cost of studios and filming.
- Tone of the Show
A lot of the lore that I read for League has a serious tone to it and I believe that's the direction the show should go in. But caution should be exercised. I believe that the folley with attempts to make shows/movies about sci-fi and fantasy are that they take themselves too seriously.
- Acting
I believe that using the original voice actors for the game is best for the show. That saves on a lot of the hassle of casting and will give a sense of familiarity to the voices of the characters.
- Content
I believe there is a lot of room for flexibility with the content of the show since the idea of summoners and the Institute of War was retconned. I believe that this show can work in all of the lore if we learn how to fill in the gaps with our own imagination. It can work in the Rune Wars, the Ionian Invasion, the war in Kalamanda, the Frost Queen in Freljord, the Fall and Rise of Shurima, etc. These are ALL things that can be brought to life instead of just living inside our imaginations. These events are key to the development of the every champion.
Q: How is a show reasonable for Riot to release?
A: League of Legends is HUGE. It has one of the largest videogame playerbases in the world. It is already well known and established. All that would need to be done is release advertisements at LCS events and maybe ask streamers for promotion. Fans would also, most likely, love to Kickstart or Gofundme the project. I'm certain the show would do well because the short cinematics on YouTube that are only a few minutes long have millions of views. People love these cinematics.
II. Rough Blueprint for the Show
As I said before this is a very rough outline for the show and this is just the way I imagined it going.
- Welcome to Valoran
In this first chapter much of Valoran can be introduced. The first episode can be about the Rune Wars that ravaged a lot of the land and caused a huge restriction on summoning and magic in most nations. Then slowly conflicts are introduced such as:
- bad blood between Demacia and Noxus -the tension brewing in Freljord between the three tribes -Noxian pacification campaigns in Freljord -political changings in Noxus -The start of the harrowing and explanation of the Shadow Isles
- The First Move
This chapter is about the events that lead up to the Noxian invasion of Ionia and the war itself. Events that will be shown are: -the betrayal by Zed on his clan -Noxus working with Zaun on biological and mechanical warfare -increased presence of Noxian traders in southern Ionia -the start of the invasion and reaction to Demacia not sending help -Riven kills Yasuo's master -the battle at Bard's mountain -the destruction of aster yi's village -the release of jhin -the biological weapons released on the battlefield -Soraka trying to heal Ionian soldiers -ahri protecting the small village -Irelia stepping up to fend off the attack
- The Rise of the Grand General
This chapter will deal with the aftermath of the Ionian invasion and the rise of Swain to the status of Grand General. Events include: -the Kalamanda conflict -the assassination of General Darkwill -Jhin wreaking havoc on Zaun and then Piltover, catching the attention of Caitlyn, Vi, Ekko, and Jinx -Yasuo hunted by his brother -Freljord tensions to Demacia rise and the pressure to find a leader rises -Lissandra supports Ashe, who is later crowned queen -The defeat of Jarvan IV at the hands of Urgot and Swain, and rescued by Xin and Garen later -Swain defeats Darkwills son and becomes Grand General -Swain uses the blood of Jarvan IV to revive Sion
- An Empire Reborn
This chapter will deal with the rise of the Shurima empire from the sands as well as the start of a new enemy: the Void -Cassiopia hires Sivir to take her to Shurima Ruins, betrays her, and is poisoned -Renekton and Xerath are released as Shurima rises -Azir rises from the grave and heals Sivir but then collapses as he becomes ascended -Swain begins resurrecting the art of summoning, attracting the attention of the Void -RekSai spawns in the Shurima desert, Kha'Zix in the Kumungu Jungles, Kogmaw and ChoGath in Icathia -Renekton overpowers Nasus and Sivir but is warded off by Taliyah -Jarvan IV goes in exile from Demacia to seek redemption for his defeat by Urgot and Swain -Swain makes an Alliance with Xerath when Azir learns what happened 1000 years ago
The Frost Queen War
This chapter is about the full fledged war that occurs in Freljord between Ashe, Sejuani, and Lissandra. It also follows Jarvan IV's journey south of The Great Barrier and his collision with the Void
The Void King
I envision this to be the final chapter of the show. It would deal primarily with the effects of the recent warfare attracting the attention of the Void completely.
As I said before the outline is incomplete, but I know with time and help from Riot this could become a reality for all of us fans. :)
I posted a link to a cinematic that I fell in love with from Riot.
If a developer or somebody who could help further this project wishes to get in contact with me about going further, my email is [email protected]
