D&D Movie/TV Ravenloft TV series in development by Netflix, Forgotten Realms TV series is dead

Netflix is developing a live-action series telling the origin story of Strahd von Zarovich. Deadline reports that Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a new Dungeons & Dragons TV series covering the origins of Strahd. The series is described as a “prestige fantasy series” combining adventure, gothic horror, and tragic romance. The series is being written and executive produced by John August, who has previously worked with Tim Burton on movies like Big Fish, Corpse Bride, and Dark Shadows. Also executive producing the series is Alfonso Cuaron and Hasbro Entertainment.

In addition to the news that a new Ravenloft TV series is in development, Deadline also reports that a planned Forgotten Realms series is “no longer in development” at Netflix. That show was announced last year and featured Drew Crevello writing and Shaun Levy executive producing. No reason was given for the abandonment of the show, but previous interviews indicated that the writers were struggling to come up with a strong narrative for the story.

 

[GothicDelusions]

A pity it's not a Van Richten's Guide series, where they could do a monster of the week with an overarching plotline and explore more of the setting.

So.. Dungeons and Dragons: Supernatural, with the .. Crossbow brothers?

 

[Scott Christian]

Those books just don't have a significant cultural footprint outside of nerd fandom. Despite their relative success, these are not iconic characters that your average person could identify, or would even have heard of it. That's not to disparage them, but that's facts. If you pitch a Drizzt film or series to a producer, you're just going to get a blank stare. We're not talking Spiderman, and there aren't coattails to ride on.

Is Drizzt, Spider Man? No. But no one is equal to the famous Marvel or DC heroes. They pitched a story about Geralt of Rivia, and the studio greenlighted it. My point was, to be fair to "broad appeal," Drizzt is much more recognizable than Strahd. He is the broadest appeal character D&D owns. People know him. Even people that do not play D&D.

Honour Among Thieves created a problem for WotC's attempt to market D&D to mass media: despite being a good, well reviewed film, it found no audience. D&D just doesn't have built-in characters with popular appeal or even popular awareness at the level needed to spur widespread curiosity.

I agree. Fun movie. Well written story. Entertaining. And it still didn't hit the target for the studio's profit machine.

But again, move away from having D&D in the title, and just make a Drizzt movie. You don't have to sell it as a brand. Sell it as a story. I personally think it would do better than their last three movies.

I think their best bet is to get back in bed with Critical Role, who actually have created a character-driven fanbase (Critters, who are not unlike early Trekkies) and marshalled that support into successful series. Or spend the time and money to do it themselves. Dungeon Masters is awesome, but the seasons are too short, I think, for fans to get deeply attached to the characters.

 

[Incenjucar]

So.. Dungeons and Dragons: Supernatural, with the .. Crossbow brothers?

It's a very efficient formula! The important thing is getting a few reliable, charismatic actors and giving them some good banter writing to work with. Ravenloft is already 99% monsters that prey on drama, and a lot of those monsters disguise themselves while hunting, so that part almost solves itself.

 

[MockingBird]

Drizzt could be popular outside the books.He never had the chance to reach the audience who havent read his books. The potential is there.

 

[bedir than]

People who were teens in the late 80s to mid 90s probably over index on Drizzt popularity.
People five years older probably over index on DragonLance.

People who play D&D right now probably know Strahd, Neverwinter, Baldur's Gate

 

[lotuseater]

The fact that they couldn’t come up with a strong narrative for Forgotten Realms despite a host of characters to choose from is some weak sauce.

But I will gladly take a Ravenloft series instead!

I highly doubt it was a lack of strong narrative. Shows get made all the time with weak narratives. Almost certainly it was a cost issue. Was the money being spent worth the return they anticipated?

 

[Zardnaar]

I highly doubt it was a lack of strong narrative. Shows get made all the time with weak narratives. Almost certainly it was a cost issue. Was the money being spent worth the return they anticipated?

This. Shadow and Bone was comparatively cheap. Every other "prestige" fantasy show costs a bomb.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

I highly doubt it was a lack of strong narrative. Shows get made all the time with weak narratives. Almost certainly it was a cost issue. Was the money being spent worth the return they anticipated?

Wrong.

Shows often end up with weak narratives, but that’s not how they start out. American TV writers are trained to work in a very specific way. Perhaps most significantly, as a part of a team. So they need the structure and characters to be there before the work can be parcelled out.

FR doesn’t have a clear narrative, it has hundreds of narratives. So the writers would have to wade through hundreds of novels (many of execrable quality) and adventures to find something suitable for a TV show (I’ve no doubt some poor soul did this). The only one I can think of with the right sort of structure and characters is Darkwalker over Moonshae, which is neither good nor well known enough to adapt. Not to mention that you would want to film it in Ireland.

You can adapt a story into a TV show, you cannot adapt a setting. Curse of Strahd has the right sort of story and characters to make a TV show, and some name recognition, so this has a much better chance of getting off the ground. Ravenloft? Ravenloft is irrelevant, you can’t adapt a setting.

 

[Zardnaar]

Wrong.

Shows often end up with weak narratives, but that’s not how they start out. American TV writers are trained to work in a very specific way. Perhaps most significantly, as a part of a team. So they need the structure and characters to be there before the work can be parcelled out.

FR doesn’t have a clear narrative, it has hundreds of narratives. So the writers would have to wade through hundreds of novels (many of execrable quality) and adventures to find something suitable for a TV show (I’ve no doubt some poor soul did this). The only one I can think of with the right sort of structure and characters is Darkwalker over Moonshae, which is neither good nor well known enough to adapt. Not to mention that you would want to film it in Ireland.

You can adapt a story into a TV show, you cannot adapt a setting. Curse of Strahd has the right sort of story and characters to make a TV show, and some name recognition, so this has a much better chance of getting off the ground. Ravenloft? Ravenloft is irrelevant, you can’t adapt a setting.

You can adapt a world/setting.

Fallout show nails the ascetic of the games.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

You can adapt a world/setting.

Fallout show nails the ascetic of the games.

It’s adapted from a computer game with a narrative structure. It follows that, particularly the first game, adding incidents from the sequels.

Protagonist emerges from a vault knowing nothing, and gradually learns about the world and its factions, getting caught up in the conflict is the structure, its all there in the games.