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.

 

[Zardnaar]

It's the 7th most watched film on Paramount+ this year. It's also a top 50 purchase on iTunes.
Studios dream of having films that are relevant more than a year after release.

Paramount's only objection, per their triple CEOs, is that they want 100% control of licensing. That's why they consider the much less popular TMNT movie a success -- it sold about a billion in retail and Paramount controlled the licence.

And paramounts share of the streaming market is tiny. It's essentially a participation trophy.

How much money is that worth in dollar terms?

 

[payn]

My other point is D&D takes place in a brutal time.

Yeah, right between make-believe and never existed.

 

[Hussar]

... ninja'd

 

[Oofta]

My other point is D&D takes place in a brutal time. So there should be more violence and really dark violence. It is not a world where PCs arrest the orc bandits and take them to town to have a trial.

Writing, characters and story do matter. But you get the huge difference between the goofy bard that never uses a weapon...never kills anything. Does crimes like Only stealing from "offical bad guys". And has some story where they want to buy a new horse. But a cynical bard that is often forced to kill and deeply regrets how easy it has become for him to just do it. Often has to do the worst of the worst crimes that often hurt innocent people. And has a story where he wants to free his wife from some horrible fate.



Again, it's not just the violence....it's everything that "everyone" would say in shock "you can't do that in a kids show!"


The rules make no sense...and are just made up.

The list of Badwrongthings is huge. They "can't be shown". Other things....are ok.

There is no reason D&D has to be grimdark, very few campaigns are in my experience. I have no idea where you're getting these ideas from. You could easily have, at the worst, a TV-14 rating without it being a kiddie show.

Plenty of shows have plenty of drama, action, violence without being R rated. I see no reason a D&D show needs to be the TV show version of Serving Private Ryan or another Game of Thones.

 

[Parmandur]

There is no reason D&D has to be grimdark, very few campaigns are in my experience. I have no idea where you're getting these ideas from. You could easily have, at the worst, a TV-14 rating without it being a kiddie show.

Plenty of shows have plenty of drama, action, violence without being R rated. I see no reason a D&D show needs to be the TV show version of Serving Private Ryan or another Game of Thones.

Because this is an adult hobby about an adult game made for adults, not babies! ADULT!

Thrashes on floor stomping and screaming

 

[payn]

Because this is an adult hobby about an adult game made for adults, not babies! ADULT!

Thrashes on floor stomping and screaming

Dont make me bonk ya head with a turkey drumstick!

 

[Oofta]

Dont make me bonk ya head with a turkey drumstick!

Wait, have you been eavesdropping on my plans for my Chefbarian?

 

[Hussar]

There is no reason D&D has to be grimdark, very few campaigns are in my experience. I have no idea where you're getting these ideas from. You could easily have, at the worst, a TV-14 rating without it being a kiddie show.

Plenty of shows have plenty of drama, action, violence without being R rated. I see no reason a D&D show needs to be the TV show version of Serving Private Ryan or another Game of Thones.

I mean, good grief, Band of Brothers is rated TV-14. That's about as violent as any D&D game gets. And it included both sex and boobs on one occasion.

 

[Parmandur]

Dont make me bonk ya head with a turkey drumstick!

This is basically what all sub-R rated material boils down to, right? For babies, unlike cool adults who watch cool adult stuff. For adults. Not babies.

 

[Parmandur]

I mean, good grief, Band of Brothers is rated TV-14. That's about as violent as any D&D game gets.

The Pacific Theatre of WW2? For babies.