D&D Movie/TV Paramount+ Will Not Proceed with Dungeons & Dragons Live-Action TV Show

Deadline reports that the live-action Dungeons & Dragons television series will not continue at Paramount+. The show was originally announced in January 2023 as Paramount+ placed an eight episode straight-to-series order. Normally that’s the best you can hope for in terms of a guarantee of the show happening as the show would produce the entire first season instead of needing to make a pilot to be approved.

Two big corporate changes happened since then, however. First, Hasbro sold the show’s co-producer Entertainment One to Lionsgate in December 2023 and shifted the production to Hasbro Entertainment. Currently, Paramount is searching for a buyer for the company with the current front runner according to reports being Sony Pictures, who have partnered with private equity firms to place a rumored $26 billion offer for the studio.

Little was announced about the plot other than it would be character-focused and involve the Underdark. These tidbits plus the fact that the character of Xenk from the 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves was originally intended to be Drizzt Do'Urden but changed during pre-production led to speculation that the series would be an adaptation of the Drizzt novels, particularly the origin story novel Homeland.

Creator Rawson Marshall Thurber (Red Notice, Easy A, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) and showrunner Drew Crevello (The Grudge 2, WeCrashed) are still attached to the project. Hasbro will repackage and update the pitch for the show and stop it around to other distributors.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Ninja Turtles is a more famous brand, with several movies and TV cartoon shows. This doesn't mean D&D to be bad, but only it has not enough brand power yet. The goal of the movie was to earn more brand power. You have to sow before you reap.

Hasbro is not interested only into selling more TTRPGs but all type of merchandising products.

 

[bloodtide]

Sorry, I can agree to disagree on some of your other points, but take of yours that today's adults won't watch fantasy is patently absurd. Unless, I'm completely missing your point on what you mean by taking it seriously. I mean, I don't think the mass of any audience is consuming movies and TV shows as a high art. They just want to be entertained.

Plenty of adults love fantasy. They are the fans. But nobody really cares much about the fans....they want the general public to watch.

What, in all of the history of D&D, a game made for Middle and highschoolers, would suggest TV-MA or R material?

Well, D&D has always been about invasion, murder, slaughter, theft. Describe the classic D&D: you go into someone else's home place murder and slaughter them and then steal all their stuff. But sure if the people are drow, giants or lizard men then it does not "count" right?


--
The first big part of the success of GoT is the Adult Drama. The show is written for Adults, not Kids. This is a huge point. Characters have real deep drama.....not silly kid drama. And to have Adult Drama, you need to go past PG-13....you need to get "real". You need to leave behind the kids stuff of "oh no what color dress will she wear to the dance..yuck yuck".

When you list the popular fictional shows, you do see a pattern: Bridgerton, Fallout, Shōgun, The Boys, Yellowstone.....know what it is: TV-MA.

 

[Zardnaar]

Plenty of adults love fantasy. They are the fans. But nobody really cares much about the fans....they want the general public to watch.


Well, D&D has always been about invasion, murder, slaughter, theft. Describe the classic D&D: you go into someone else's home place murder and slaughter them and then steal all their stuff. But sure if the people are drow, giants or lizard men then it does not "count" right?


--
The first big part of the success of GoT is the Adult Drama. The show is written for Adults, not Kids. This is a huge point. Characters have real deep drama.....not silly kid drama. And to have Adult Drama, you need to go past PG-13....you need to get "real". You need to leave behind the kids stuff of "oh no what color dress will she wear to the dance..yuck yuck".

When you list the popular fictional shows, you do see a pattern: Bridgerton, Fallout, Shōgun, The Boys, Yellowstone.....know what it is: TV-MA.

Note that the bog budget fantasy shows are all aimed at adults.

 

[Parmandur]

Plenty of adults love fantasy. They are the fans. But nobody really cares much about the fans....they want the general public to watch.


Well, D&D has always been about invasion, murder, slaughter, theft. Describe the classic D&D: you go into someone else's home place murder and slaughter them and then steal all their stuff. But sure if the people are drow, giants or lizard men then it does not "count" right?


--
The first big part of the success of GoT is the Adult Drama. The show is written for Adults, not Kids. This is a huge point. Characters have real deep drama.....not silly kid drama. And to have Adult Drama, you need to go past PG-13....you need to get "real". You need to leave behind the kids stuff of "oh no what color dress will she wear to the dance..yuck yuck".

When you list the popular fictional shows, you do see a pattern: Bridgerton, Fallout, Shōgun, The Boys, Yellowstone.....know what it is: TV-MA.

Honestly that seems a rather myopic view on what is "adult".

 

[Oofta]

...

Well, D&D has always been about invasion, murder, slaughter, theft. Describe the classic D&D: you go into someone else's home place murder and slaughter them and then steal all their stuff. But sure if the people are drow, giants or lizard men then it does not "count" right?

Maybe that's how you play D&D. It's not how I've played it for a long, long time.

 

[Zardnaar]

Maybe that's how you play D&D. It's not how I've played it for a long, long time.

So your 0layers bever kill anyone ir resort to violence whatsoever?

There's a difference between murder hobos and combat but it's still leans towards kill and loot stuff to some extent.

 

[Oofta]

So your 0layers bever kill anyone ir resort to violence whatsoever?

There's a difference between murder hobos and combat but it's still leans towards kill and loot stuff to some extent.

We don't break in to other creature's abodes for the purpose of looting their stuff, no. Treasure is virtually never primary motivation, it's defense or preventing further attacks. There's a difference between armed robbery and being a soldier trying to protect others.

 

[Zardnaar]

We don't break in to other creature's abodes for the purpose of looting their stuff, no. Treasure is virtually never primary motivation, it's defense or preventing further attacks. There's a difference between armed robbery and being a soldier trying to protect others.

So you never take loot after you defend some?

Main point being g D&D is very lenient on justifying violence.

I don't object just pointing out that the average group would technically be war criminals irl just for the looting if nothing else.

 

[Oofta]

So you never take loot after you defend some?

Main point being g D&D is very lenient on justifying violence.

I don't object just pointing out that the average group would technically be war criminals irl just for the looting if nothing else.

Whatever. I was just pointing out that murder hobos plundering dungeons populated by creatures that were doing no harm for the sole purpose of taking their stuff is very old school and, in my experience, pretty rare in the past couple of decades.

 

[Zardnaar]

Whatever. I was just pointing out that murder hobos plundering dungeons populated by creatures that were doing no harm for the sole purpose of taking their stuff is very old school and, in my experience, pretty rare in the past couple of decades.

Still plundering goes on though we just justify it now.

Looking at official adventures.

Doesn't offend me just pointing it out. PCs generally still kill and loot, don't like authority and don't pay tax on said loot.