Dungeons & Dragons Live-Action Netflix Series in the Works (in the Best Setting)

A live-action Dungeons & Dragons series is in development at Netflix, with Shawn Levy as a producer and Drew Crevello as the writer and showrunner. According to a report by Deadline, the series is titled The Forgotten Realms, indicating that it will be in the tabletop RPG’s most iconic fantasy setting. This means it could feasibly incorporate some of the characters we already know and love such as Drizz’t Do’Urden, and adapt stories fans are already familiar with. Insiders said the story is not related to the 2023 movie Honor Among Thieves. Hasbro Entertainment is on board for the series, but so far none of the companies involved have officially commented on this news.

A potential Dungeons & Dragons series has been in the works for a few years now, but the talent seems to have lined up perfectly for this incarnation. Crevello — creator of the Apple TV+ miniseries WeCrashed — was involved in the previous series planned for Paramount+, which fell through in 2023. Meanwhile, Levy has a proven track record at Netflix with Stranger Things, which has also helped popularize D&D in recent years. This series also has the strength of Hasbro Entertainment behind it, unlike before when the former subsidiary eOne was in charge.

The Forgotten Realms reportedly has a pilot script from Crevello already. If it goes to series, he will executive produce alongside Levy and Dan Levine of Levy’s company 21 Laps, which has a deal with Netflix. Levy is fresh off the success of Deadpool & Wolverine, and is an executive producer on Stranger Things which will has one final season premiering this year.

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Netflix has already had a lot of success in the fantasy genre with shows like The Witcher and Shadow & Bone, but a there’s no brand in the space that compares with Dungeons & Dragons. Insiders said that if The Forgotten Realms is successful, Netflix hopes to expand the franchise and perhaps develop an interconnected cinematic universe.

Forgotten Realms is a fantasy world setting used for in many D&D games, novels, and other media. It is the most similar to medieval fantasy worlds like J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, featuring elves, dwarves, orcs and other fantastical people living alongside humans. It’s also the setting for many video games like massively popular Baldur’s Gate 3 released in 2023.

The Forgotten Realms is in development, so there’s no guarantee we’ll see a finished product and there’s no estimate on when it might debut. For now, you can stream Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves on Prime Video and Paramount+.