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.

 

[bloodtide]

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

Guess I would wonder how you play? You don't kill foes? You don't attack foes in places they live? You don't loot dead bodies?

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

My point is when you say D&D people get locked into...at best pg-13.

 

[Zardnaar]

Guess I would wonder how you play? You don't kill foes? You don't attack foes in places they live? You don't loot dead bodies?


My point is when you say D&D people get locked into...at best pg-13.

PG13 at home or via official releases?

 

[bedir than]

Guess I would wonder how you play? You don't kill foes? You don't attack foes in places they live? You don't loot dead bodies?


My point is when you say D&D people get locked into...at best pg-13.

the books, for decades, have not been suggested for 18+.
Why would a game, clearly marked as 12+ and 13+ for decades be converted into an R-rated tv show?

 

[Oofta]

Guess I would wonder how you play? You don't kill foes? You don't attack foes in places they live? You don't loot dead bodies?

My point is that we aren't going out killing for the sole purpose of getting loot, which was very common in the early days of D&D. A lot of old school play was "Here's a map to a dungeon with lots of treasure. Oh, by the way there's a bunch of orcs there so you'll have to clear them out."

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Let's remember the videogame BG3 is not for children, at all.

I don't remember players of Hero-Quest board game with that type of controversies.

D&D brand is like a cluster of different subfranchises. It is Ravenloft and Dark Sun, but also Stryxhaven and Witchlight.

Now the goal isn't milking the cow yet, but the brand has to earn more value.

There isn't a magic formula to produce blockbuster with a predeterminated IP. Hollywood has tried it lots of times in the last years and not always it worked. Even when they did it after they were too "burnt" for new sequels.

Do you remember that movie where a beardless Jason Momoa played Conan the barbarian?

When Harry Potter saga was published, a new generation of readers started to be interested into the books. Can you say me any fantasy best-seller for children? Years after "Twilight" saga, is there any supernatural romance published in the last years? After the Witcher Wheel of Time and Game of Thrones, can you say any fantasy saga for adults?

And novels only need a writter. A cinematographic production, action-live or animation, need more work, time and workers.

 

[bloodtide]

My point is that we aren't going out killing for the sole purpose of getting loot, which was very common in the early days of D&D. A lot of old school play was "Here's a map to a dungeon with lots of treasure. Oh, by the way there's a bunch of orcs there so you'll have to clear them out."

So you have some social or story reason for mass murder and looting?

the books, for decades, have not been suggested for 18+.
Why would a game, clearly marked as 12+ and 13+ for decades be converted into an R-rated tv show?

Well, they can make the D&D Kids Show no problem. The trick is making a popular show that people will watch.

 

[bedir than]

So you have some social or story reason for mass murder and looting?

Well, they can make the D&D Kids Show no problem. The trick is making a popular show that people will watch.

Kids shows are not 12+ or 13+. I expect you know there's a difference between Bluey and Marvel.

 

[Zardnaar]

the books, for decades, have not been suggested for 18+.
Why would a game, clearly marked as 12+ and 13+ for decades be converted into an R-rated tv show?

There's a lot of money in more mature content.
BG3 for example. Probably made mire money tjan the entire 5E run or close to it.

Game of Thrones for non D&D.

 

[bedir than]

There's a lot of money in more mature content.
BG3 for example. Probably made mire money tjan the entire 5E run or close to it.

Game of Thrones for non D&D.

Yes, money can be made in R, 17+ and 18+ content.

That doesn't mean we should perpetuate the myth that PG-13 isn't where the most money is available AND that it is also where D&D has been ever since ages were added to book labels.

Just look at the current top 10 most streamed movies and shows. Only one is R and another is TV-MA.

 

[Zardnaar]

Yes, money can be made in R, 17+ and 18+ content.

That doesn't mean we should perpetuate the myth that PG-13 isn't where the most money is available AND that it is also where D&D has been ever since ages were added to book labels.

Just look at the current top 10 most streamed movies and shows. Only one is R and another is TV-MA.

Main point is you can make money and appeal to various demographics with a variety of product