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.

 

[bedir than]

In 2023 zero of the Rotten Tomatoes best sci-fi/fantasy series were R/MA
In 2022 only one was
In 2021 zero

It's just not a reality

 

[Zardnaar]

In 2023 zero of the Rotten Tomatoes best sci-fi/fantasy series were R/MA
In 2022 only one was
In 2021 zero

It's just not a reality

Can't think of to many high profile ones even been made. Most recent examples we have is a kid friendly D&D movie tanking, an adult BG3 blowing up.

Looks like Deadpool is also going to blow up.

Game of Thrones finished 5 years ago. House of the Dragon seems to be doing well.

I don't think people are arguing R16 or whatever should be the new way forward but you can make money doing it.

Average 5E player is in the 20s iirc. They're not kids or 40+.

 

[Parmandur]

Good grief. Xena? Hercules? Buffy? Can we get some examples that aren’t thirty years out of date?

Ffs, Battlestar Galactica wasn’t M. And that had genocide and lots of death.

The Expanse was TV-14. That had LOTS of violence and nudity.

This idea that anything not R rated is “for kids” is just flat out wrong.

I cannot take it as a serious and in earnest statement, it is patently absurd.

 

[Parmandur]

In 2023 zero of the Rotten Tomatoes best sci-fi/fantasy series were R/MA
In 2022 only one was
In 2021 zero

It's just not a reality

Baby shows, all of them. Just like NCIS, well known as a children's show.

 

[bedir than]

Can't think of to many high profile ones even been made. Most recent examples we have is a kid friendly D&D movie tanking, an adult BG3 blowing up.

Looks like Deadpool is also going to blow up.

Game of Thrones finished 5 years ago. House of the Dragon seems to be doing well.

I don't think people are arguing R16 or whatever should be the new way forward but you can make money doing it.

Average 5E player is in the 20s iirc. They're not kids or 40+.

House of the Dragon is the only fantasy or sci-fi SERIES in the Rotten Tomatoes top 10 for the past three years with an MA/R rating.

And there were plenty of options, including things that specifically targeting actual kids (Percy Jackson, American born Chinese)

The argument is that a D&D series must be so gory that it is TV-MA not pathetic kiddie stuff like TV-14.

But actual fantasy shows that get billions of hours of viewing are actually TV-14, not MA. There are more successful fantasy and sci-fi series that target children than those that target those who get off seeing gory violence.

 

[Zardnaar]

House of the Dragon is the only fantasy or sci-fi SERIES in the Rotten Tomatoes top 10 for the past three years with an MA/R rating.

And there were plenty of options, including things that specifically targeting actual kids (Percy Jackson, American born Chinese)

The argument is that a D&D series must be so gory that it is TV-MA not pathetic kiddie stuff like TV-14.

But actual fantasy shows that get billions of hours of viewing are actually TV-14, not MA. There are more successful fantasy and sci-fi series that target children than those that target those who get off seeing gory violence.

As I said there s just not much out there.

And BG3 is the most recent billion dollar example.

Not claiming it's the new way forward but there's probably money on the table.

Making knock off GotG toned stuff (like everyone else is doing) is producing flop after flop. Unless you are GotG.

Playing it safe is often boring and leads to homogeneous product. Short term you'll make money until the audience gets bored.

 

[Parmandur]

House of the Dragon is the only fantasy or sci-fi SERIES in the Rotten Tomatoes top 10 for the past three years with an MA/R rating.

And there were plenty of options, including things that specifically targeting actual kids (Percy Jackson, American born Chinese)

The argument is that a D&D series must be so gory that it is TV-MA not pathetic kiddie stuff like TV-14.

But actual fantasy shows that get billions of hours of viewing are actually TV-14, not MA. There are more successful fantasy and sci-fi series that target children than those that target those who get off seeing gory violence.

The Lord of the Rings? For babies.

Star Trek? Infantile.

 

[bedir than]

As I said there s just not much out there.

I used the RT top 10 and included sci-fi.
Every year there were several dozen SERIES across a spectrum of streaming platforms.
The most well known of these are House of the Dragon, many Star Treks, Wheel of Time, Rings of Power, Shadow & Bone, The Irregulars and literally dozens more.

And BG3 is the most recent billion dollar example.

It is not an example of a TV/streaming series. You keep bringing this up, but it has nothing to do with what people are watching on their screens.

Making knock off GotG toned stuff (like everyone else is doing) is producing flop after flop. Unless you are GotG.

This is also not a TV/streaming series. The series in question do not emulate Guardians of the Galaxy. There's nothing Rings of Power has in common with the MCU for example. Nor Percy Jackson. Nor Shadow & Bone. Nor Star Trek: Discovery.

 

[Hussar]

I used the RT top 10 and included sci-fi.
Every year there were several dozen SERIES across a spectrum of streaming platforms.
The most well known of these are House of the Dragon, many Star Treks, Wheel of Time, Rings of Power, Shadow & Bone, The Irregulars and literally dozens more.

It is not an example of a TV/streaming series. You keep bringing this up, but it has nothing to do with what people are watching on their screens.

This is also not a TV/streaming series. The series in question do not emulate Guardians of the Galaxy. There's nothing Rings of Power has in common with the MCU for example. Nor Percy Jackson. Nor Shadow & Bone. Nor Star Trek: Discovery.

Oh yes there is.

Superhero poses.



And glasses. Don't forget that glasses is somehow a bad thing too.

 

[Zardnaar]

I used the RT top 10 and included sci-fi.
Every year there were several dozen SERIES across a spectrum of streaming platforms.
The most well known of these are House of the Dragon, many Star Treks, Wheel of Time, Rings of Power, Shadow & Bone, The Irregulars and literally dozens more.

It is not an example of a TV/streaming series. You keep bringing this up, but it has nothing to do with what people are watching on their screens.

This is also not a TV/streaming series. The series in question do not emulate Guardians of the Galaxy. There's nothing Rings of Power has in common with the MCU for example. Nor Percy Jackson. Nor Shadow & Bone. Nor Star Trek: Discovery.

R16 + is rarer no one's disputing that.
What we are saying is there's money there.

You do understand different demographics like different things right?