Summary
Dungeons & Dragonsfans might have missed out on a great thing when Paramount’s streaming strategy switched around for Paramount Plus in 2023, but they’ve hit a natural 20 roll with Netflix coming in to save the day.
WhileDungeons & Dragonswas already the undisputed juggernaut of tabletop RPGs in terms of popularity, the game and IP have become exponentially more popular in the mainstream in recent years in no small part thanks to a multimedia push from both official and third-party sources. One of the most prominent of these was the highly successful live-action adaptation titledDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves,a lighthearted fantasy heist film that brought many of the best parts of the source material to life with undeniable charm and unexpected finesse. This success spurned talks of a sequel or spinoff series for streaming, but thatplannedDungeons & Dragonsproject would unfortunately fizzle out at Paramount+.
It was clear from the get-go thattheDungeons & DragonsTV show was a massive missed opportunityfor both fans and whatever company was able to bring it to life, and now that grave injustice is on the path to being corrected. Per reporting fromDeadline, Netflix has greenlit the development of a live-action Dungeons & Dragons show for the streamer titledThe Forbidden Realms. The project comes from Hasbro Entertainment, with pilot writer Drew Crevello also set to serve as the showrunner and an executive producer on the project alongside Dan Levine and current industry golden boy Shawn Levy via Levy’s 21 Laps company. While it does stem from efforts to pick back up after the failure to launch at Paramount Plus, this new project is reportedly not linked to any ideas pitched for the Paramount version and won’t be linked toHonor Among Thieveslike the original idea was.
Crevello is best known for his work on the Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway-led miniseriesWeCrashedat AppleTV+, and Levy has been all over the place recently, with his most recent big win being 2024’srecord-shattering blockbusterDeadpool & Wolverine, which brought the two characters into the Marvel Cinematic Universe proper. In addition to upcoming works on theStar WarsandMinecraftIPs, Levy also has a great relationship with Netflix and is reportedly responsible for bringingThe Forgotten Realmsto the streamer and getting it greenlit via 21 Laps. The only real negative here is the loss of its relation to theHonor Among Thievesfilm, a detail that fans will have to blame Paramount for in perpetuity.
The project is certainly in good hands with Crevello and Levy, and should be able to solve the association problem easily thanks to the name. With Hasbro’s in-house production team on the fore, there’s no chance that the project will get the same sort of treatment it did at Paramount. That’s great news for fans, and a big win for Netflix, as a live-actionDungeons & Dragonsseries has some immense potential as a fantasy offering. With Max developing more and moreGame of Thrones-adjacent projects and Amazon MGM Studios bolstering Prime Video bydoubling down on its long-termThe Rings of Powerplans with a renewaldespite some divisiveness, it’s clear that the fantasy game is still on. Netflix has made a lot of bold moves in this field, most notably with the rebooted Narnia film series the streamer greenlit withBarbie’sGreta Gerwig. However, the real battle is being fought over shows and not feature-length projects. With that in mind, there’s no fantasy IP more creatively versatile and liable to field advantage thanDungeons & Dragons,a franchise almost entirely defined by creative freedom.
While Netflix is certain to win big, and Hasbro can finally push ahead with its big plans for the IP, the real winner here will be the fans ofDungeons & Dragons.Should the show live up to even just the bulk of its potential, there’s no doubt that it will be a must-see fantasy project that is on par with the competition. WithStranger Thingsset to end in an emotional moment for fans and Netflix, it would be a great opportunity for another show that Levy executive produces to take centre stage in the coming transitory period. Fans will have to wait and see ifThe Forgotten Realmswill be that show, but things are certainly looking good at the moment.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thievesis available to stream on Paramount Plus.
