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.

 

[GrimCo]

Sorry, you lost me at D&D being associated with "realistic".

At least i lost you at the end But you know what i mean.

See, that's the problem. No the customer base isn't over 21. Most of the customer base is under 25. By like a whole pile.

Most of customer base for what? D&D ttrpg or D&D inspired toy line? Or D&D media?

 

[Parmandur]

lol, did not know that, I guess you can after all.

So what I meant then will have to be more along the lines that you cannot make the case that if the same criteria were applied to these movies, they all would get a PG (or lower) rating. My comment was more about that than about them being grandfathered in due to some ruling, to not cause issues.

I mean, it's not grandfathering: the G rating was just keeping to the old Hayes Code rules all movies used to adhere to when they inrroduced new codes: PG and up were introduced as exceprions to those rules.

The point is, plenty of adult stories have been made in the G rated arena. The Maltese Falcon, High Noon, Citizen Kain, Casablanca. All G. So...for babies?

 

[mamba]

The point is, plenty of adult stories have been made in the G rated arena. The Maltese Falcon, High Noon, Citizen Kain, Casablanca. All G. So...for babies?

I never disagreed with that point, I just found the argument for it that goes ‘see all those movies that were made before we even had today’s rating system and are G rated? I guess they all must be for kids’ to not be a very good one.

I am sure you can find a lot of examples that are way more recent than 1968, are made for adults and do not have an MA rating. Those make a better case imo

 

[Hussar]

At least i lost you at the end But you know what i mean.


Most of customer base for what? D&D ttrpg or D&D inspired toy line? Or D&D media?

D&D TTRPG. 30 (ish) per cent are under the age of 25.

 

[mamba]

Most of the customer base is under 25.

30 (ish) per cent are under the age of 25.

something does not add up here…

 

[Parmandur]

I never disagreed with that point, I just found the argument for it that goes ‘see all those movies that were made before we even had today’s rating system and are G rated? I guess they all must be for kids’ to not be a very good one.

I am sure you can find a lot of examples that are way more recent than 1968, are made for adults and do not have an MA rating. Those make a better case imo

Well, I was making the point that the argument "PG-13 is for babies" is a bit ludicrous. Since many adult films (even more recent ones) are not R rated.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

But the brand needs a title for all audiences if Hasbro wants a new generation of players.

And if there is some future project for a LEGO: D&D then... Hasbro will want D&D to be a family-friendly brand. Even Ravenloft 5ed has been "softed" comparing with the previous editions.

 

[Hussar]

something does not add up here…

Oh I’m so sorry for not being precise in my language. I shall endeavour to speak with much precision to not trip over the pedantry police.

 

[MNblockhead]

Oh I’m so sorry for not being precise in my language. I shall endeavour to speak with much precision to not trip over the pedantry police.

Wrong agency. It's the mathematics police. Personally, I much prefer the mathematics police.

 

[GrimCo]

But the brand needs a title for all audiences if Hasbro wants a new generation of players.

Question is, what is usual new player demographic? Cause, from anecdotal observation, most of the players i meet, started playing DnD in their mid to late teens (high school). Decent amount of people who came in into 5e during pandemic times were actually even older (some were old timers returning, some are brand new to dnd).

And if there is some future project for a LEGO: D&D then... Hasbro will want D&D to be a family-friendly brand. Even Ravenloft 5ed has been "softed" comparing with the previous editions.

Lego&D could be one way to cross promote brand and capture kids as consumers.

It mostly boils down to what WotC want's to sell. TTRPG or toys. Cause those are completely separate customer demographics. I feel like Hasbro would love to rather sell toys, since they are toy company first and foremost and toy sales are down.

I just don't see D&D as a kid and preteen brand, since their prime customers are 20+ year olds. It's about targeting ones who are willing to spend money on products.