The media history of Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) has been turbulent, to say the least. Despite dominating the tabletop space for decades, it holds an inconsistent onscreen track record, from the critically derided 2000 film (which spawned two other direct-to-video sequels) to the charming, full-of-character Honor Among Thieves (2023), even if it underperformed at the box office.
Now, Netflix is taking a stab at bringing the beloved fantasy realm to life. Deadline reports that a new live-action D&D series is in the works at the streamer, with Shawn Levy (Stranger Things, Deadpool & Wolverine) at the helm and WeCrashed‘s Drew Crevello serving as writer and showrunner.
As its title The Forgotten Realms suggests, the project will take place in the iconic campaign setting of the D&D universe that is home to some of the most popular spin-offs, including Honor Among Thieves and Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate series of video games. No casting or release date has been announced.
If the live-action series proves successful, it could launch a potential D&D universe at Netflix. It was initially overseen creatively by Red Notice director Marshall Thurber at Paramount+ with a straight-to-series order, but a strategy shift at the studio led to stalled progress. Now that Hasbro Entertainment is in charge, the adaptation underwent redevelopment with Crevello and featured a brand-new concept that caught the attention of Levy, who joined the project afterwards.
Created in 1974, Dungeons & Dragons is considered one of the most influential games of all time and is one of Hasbro’s key franchise brands hailing from Wizards of the Coast. It employs multi-sided dice and sees players creating characters from a wide range of fantasy races like elves, orcs, and dwarves, as they role-play through various settings and stories while overseen by a host, known as the Dungeon Master (or DM, for short). Stranger Things is one of the more recent examples that have successfully introduced it to a new generation through its widespread D&D influence and references.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
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