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.

 

[Azzy]

No idea what that is. Not so much a genre but a gimmick at least in live action American film and television.

If a gimmick is used a lot, across many authors, it starts to describe its own genre (or subgenre). There is a genre call "Lit RPG" novels that centers around this conceit. In Japan, the Isekai (which is much the same) genre makes up a metric-ass-ton of the light novels, manga, and anime that are coming out of Japan.

 

[MichaelSomething]

Remember Enworlders, punching someone in the face is too violent for children, but blasting them with nuclear bomb level force is a okay!

 

[Zardnaar]

Remember Enworlders, punching someone in the face is too violent for children, but blasting them with nuclear bomb level force is a okay!

Generally they draw the line at blood or what kids can do irl.

Even in 80s something like wrestling moves and punching was worse than weapons as kids generally don't have access to nukes. Ones fantasy the others 3 days in hospital (happened at my school).

 

[Werthead]

I suspect WotC are looking at the demographics and thinking D&D is not primarily an adult-focused game, but they're also looking at the colossal sales figures of the very R-rated Baldur's Gate III and going, "Hmmm." Vox Machina also seems to be doing very well on Amazon with an adult-leaning show.

Simultaneously, the young D&D-playing demographic did not turn out in force for the all-ages-aimed (and very solid) D&D movie, whilst they did seem to tap into BG3 (i.e. the younger demographic didn't really care that BG3 had a lot of violence, psychological trauma and sexy times).

So I think the messaging on what sells and what does not sell is a little more mixed than purely looking at the demographics.

 

[Zardnaar]

I suspect WotC are looking at the demographics and thinking D&D is not primarily an adult-focused game, but they're also looking at the colossal sales figures of the very R-rated Baldur's Gate III and going, "Hmmm." Vox Machina also seems to be doing very well on Amazon with an adult-leaning show.

Simultaneously, the young D&D-playing demographic did not turn out in force for the all-ages-aimed (and very solid) D&D movie, whilst they did seem to tap into BG3 (i.e. the younger demographic didn't really care that BG3 had a lot of violence, psychological trauma and sexy times).

So I think the messaging on what sells and what does not sell is a little more mixed than purely looking at the demographics.

Basically my argument. BG3 broke a billion dollars in sales fairly early on.

That's more than 10 years of the entire RPG market and 5 times bigger than the movie. It's also a dated figure (pre console sales).

Unless WotC are complete idiots they should be going hmmnn. Majority of their customers are adults.

Deadpool 3 is also tracking for monster numbers.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

But BG3 needed years to be developed. Videogame AAA industry is a very risky bet.

If they wanted a title for mature audiences, why not Dark Sun?

 

[Zardnaar]

But BG3 needed years to be developed. Videogame AAA industry is a very risky bet.

If they wanted a title for mature audiences, why not Dark Sun?

Darksuns probably to niche.

 

[Oofta]

Darksun wasn't particularly popular even when it was new. I can kind of see why FR is always going to feel a bit YA, kind of like the D&D equivalent of Harry Potter. But there are still other options, everything from Greyhawk to Eberron to Planescape or Spelljammer.

Greyhawk could be more of a pseudo-medieval somewhat gritty world with people struggling for power. Eberron of course would lean into the whole noir thing, perhaps even a mystery style D&D movie could be fun. Planescape or Spelljammer could have almost a Guardians of the Galaxy type, although for different reasons.

Out of all of those I think Greyhawk would "feel" more like D&D to a lot of people, it would also have the advantage that you wouldn't have to have as many oddball humanoids running around if you want. Of course if they do animated it doesn't really matter.

 

[Jaeger]

I suspect WotC are looking at the demographics and thinking D&D is not primarily an adult-focused game,

They would have to get very "mentally creative" with their own demographic reporting to come to that conclusion.

It would be completely inexplicable:

Because 75% of D&D players are 18+ adults.

(Note that they are not even bothering to count anyone over 45 years old...)

but they're also looking at the colossal sales figures of the very R-rated Baldur's Gate III and going, "Hmmm." Vox Machina also seems to be doing very well on Amazon with an adult-leaning show.

Which should be a no-brainer given their own reported demographics...

Unless WotC are complete idiots they should be going hmmnn. Majority of their customers are adults.

One would think.

Yet in my opinion; they seem to be continually 'sanitizing' the product for a much younger crowd. Especially in recent years.

Darksun wasn't particularly popular even when it was new.

Truth.

A lot of the 2e settings enjoy a cult status following. But as Wotc has recently demonstrated with its planescape and spelljammer re-boots, that following does not necessarily translate to popularity with a wider audience.

In fact they have demonstrated an ability to take an otherwise once quite popular setting like Dragonlance, and still make it fall flat...

I can kind of see why FR is always going to feel a bit YA, kind of like the D&D equivalent of Harry Potter. But there are still other options, everything from Greyhawk to Eberron to Planescape or Spelljammer.

Greyhawk could be more of a pseudo-medieval somewhat gritty world with people struggling for power. ...

Out of all of those I think Greyhawk would "feel" more like D&D to a lot of people, it would also have the advantage that you wouldn't have to have as many oddball humanoids running around if you want. Of course if they do animated it doesn't really matter.

The question is can Wotc deliver those settings without giving them the "5e treatment"?

i.e. Can they release a setting without altering it to incorporate everything from the three core books?

I personally think that they are currently incapable of that.

In my opinion; this will attitude not change until D&D has experienced a complete turnover in the personnel currently in charge of the IP.

 

[Alzrius]

They would have to get very "mentally creative" with their own demographic reporting to come to that conclusion.

It would be completely inexplicable:

View attachment 367668

Because 75% of D&D players are 18+ adults.

(Note that they are not even bothering to count anyone over 45 years old...)

I've been very unimpressed with WotC's demographic infographics ("infodemographics"? "Demoinfographics"?) for a while now. There's zero information given about how they reach the numbers that they do, and I know enough about statistics to know that they can be "massaged" in all kinds of ways, and even if they aren't there are still numerous issues that can skew data even when the people collecting/presenting it are well-meaning.

Combine that with how WotC has a vested interest in presenting information about themselves in the best possible light (which is only to be expected, and not something I hold against them in-and-of themselves), and it makes me leery of putting any stock whatsoever in charts like this.