Netflix is committing hard to Dungeons & Dragons with a brand new live-action show based on the veteran tabletop role-playing game. Set to be called The Forgotten Realms (inspired by the D&D campaign of the same name), Shawn Levy (Deadpool & Wolverine, Stranger Things, The Adam Project) is set to produce, alongside showrunner Drew Crevello (WeCrashed). It's part of Hasbro Entertainment's continued push to adapt its licenses — and a perfect fit for Netflix’s catalogue of established, geek-friendly IP.
According to Deadline, Levy is focussing the live-action series around Forgotten Realms as it's one of the most popular tabletop D&D campaigns — it was first designed by Ed Greenwood in the 80s, and has seen new material released continually since its inception, meaning there will be plenty of pre-existing stories for the creators to dive into. This show will undoubtedly scratch Netflix's fantasy itch now that The Witcher is ending following five seasons and an underwhelming critical response.
The show will be the second time the iconic campaign has been adapted in recent years after the Chris Pine-led 2023 film, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves, used the same source material.
The 2023 film was critically successful but financially less so after making just over $200 million dollars worldwide. It's a shame because it was a good time and an enjoyable footnote in the Hugh Grant renaissance we're currently experiencing.
A long campaign to production
In 2021, in response to the increased popularity of D&D, Hasbro subsidiary eOne began to prioritise getting a D&D show into production. It hasn't been plain sailing with the show, which was planned to be made over at Paramount before being scrapped after an internal direction shift.
Now, Hasbro Entertainment is in charge thanks to eOne being acquired by Lionsgate, and the project is now moving ahead at Netflix. The show will be completely unrelated to the previous live-action iterations of D&D, which will no doubt cause plenty of confusion during the build-up to release for all the people who enjoyed the film. Hopefully, the show keeps the irreverent, humourous tone of the movie, if nothing else.
Dungeons & Dragons is a tabletop RPG first released in 1974. Purchased by Wizards of the Coast in 1997 — owners of the similarly popular Magic: The Gathering card game — D&D sits under Hasbro's umbrella portfolio of big-earning brands. In the past, Hasbro has also greenlit film adaptations of Transformers (a money-printing franchise which will now seemingly never end) and G.I. Joe.
A D&D show will no doubt be a big earner if done right, thanks to its huge growth in recent years and dedicated fan base. The unique world of fantasy and monsters is perfectly positioned for a hit-show, bringing new fans to the game whilst satiating pre-existing ones. Netflix is also a prime spot for a D&D-inspired show — it’s easily arguable that a big part of the RPG’s ongoing modern success is down to its prominent reference in the Netflix mega-hit Stranger Things show.
There is still no indication of when this show will be released, but now that key creatives are in place, it hopefully won’t be long until we're enjoying Netflix's take on this fantasy epic.
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Image Credit: Wizards of the Coast
