Krull Movie - Dragons of Krull Beast character design Greg Hildebrandt

The 1983 film Krull (directed by Peter Yates) originally had the working title The Dragons of Krull during its early development and scripting phases.
This ties into its origins as a fantasy project inspired by Dungeons & Dragons (D&D). Columbia Pictures executives approached producers in 1980 with the idea of making a movie based on or heavily influenced by D&D, which was exploding in popularity at the time. The initial concept leaned into classic high fantasy elements, including the main villain—the alien invader known as the Beast—being envisioned as a dragon (or possibly involving dragons more prominently).
In the earliest drafts of the screenplay (like the November 1980 third draft by Stanford Sherman), the title was The Dragons of Krull. Concept art from that period (including pieces by artist Greg Hildebrandt) reflected this, sometimes depicting dragon-like or draconic motifs around the Black Fortress or the Beast.
However, the filmmakers ultimately changed direction:
The Beast was redesigned as a more "reptilian" alien entity (a grotesque, Lovecraftian/eldritch horror with claws, eyes, and a lair full of weird architecture) rather than a traditional fire-breathing dragon.
Any explicit dragon elements were dropped from the story.
This shift happened partly because Dragonslayer (another dragon-centric fantasy film) had recently underperformed at the box office in 1981, and the team wanted to avoid overlap or perceived failure in the same subgenre.


This intricate character design was created with beautiful pen and brush textures. Greg uses the acrylic wash to layer the scales on the creature creating depth and a sense of realness to the skin. The points on the scales are rendered sharply, adding to the viciousness and intensity of the character. Greens, blues and yellows are used in the reptile sea creature, with pops of reddish pinks in the eyes and mouth that help create focus on the face of the monster. Greg Hildebrandt once again brings another creature to life!


Acrylic Wash on Paper
Signed by Greg Hildebrandt
Unpublished
Created 1982
SIZE: 22” x 29” inches