Shawn Levy Provides Update on Netflix D&D Show

Shawn Levy has provided a brief update on the Forgotten Realms series in development at Netflix. Speaking to Collider ahead of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things, Levy was asked about the progress of the new Dungeons & Dragons series that he's producing for Netflix. "I think that the reason it's taken so long and the reason why it is a challenging process is you're not adapting story IP," Levy told Collider. "You're adapting a world and a lexicon and a spirit, but story needs to be invented largely from scratch. And it needs to be invented in a way that feels organic to everything that's great about DnD. So that one is in very active every day chipping-away-at-it development at Netflix."

Announced earlier this year, Netflix is developing a live-action television series titled the Forgotten Realms. No further details were provided about the nature of the series, but Levy's comments suggest that they're developing an original storyline as opposed to adapting a novel or adventure story into TV. Levy is serving as the producer of the series, with Drew Crevello serving as the writer/showrunner.

Collider also asked if the Forgotten Realms series would move forward, Levy replied "I really hope so. I really really hope so."

 

[Parmandur]

I've been saying for years that D&D settings are like Star Trek literally made to tell your own stories, until say Star Wars, Middle Earth, Wheel of Time, Witcher, etc..., simply weren't. Those setting might be more fameous and profitable in their respective genres, but they primarily tell a specific story or set if stories and coloring outside those lines ends up angering the fan base. Where as D&D setting like FR, you have a sandbox (or in Dragonlance's case a central story surrounded by a Sandbox), you still have to respect canon as much as possible, but D&D canon is specifically design be filled with story hooks and infinity possibilities.

Yeah, it really is perfect for thisnpurpose: has identifiable lore and plenty of hooks, but no sacrosanct literary story or definite character arcs to bow down to. But, that means more work.

 

[geek0id]

Sounds like the standard Hollywood "Development Hell." The first two paragraphs of the article make it sound like the project is moving forward, but the final sentence indicates it's questionable whether they will even move forward to actual production. The big question I would have liked to see answered is whether they have lined up sufficient funding to actually make the show.

All shows in development are always on the brink of being cut. Management change, budget changes, some VPs mistress doesn't like it. It really would be healthy for the community if we weren't even aware they were being made until a few months before release.

 

[bedir than]

All shows in development are always on the brink of being cut. Management change, budget changes, some VPs mistress doesn't like it. It really would be healthy for the community if we weren't even aware they were being made until a few months before release.

This is why during the Hasbro earnings call they said that they had 45-50 TV/movie projects in various stages of development but they'd wait until they were far along before giving details