A Dungeons & Dragons television series is in the works, led by the creator of the John Wick franchise. The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Derek Kolstad, the creator and writer of the John Wick movie franchise, has been tapped to write and develop a pitch for a live-action Dungeons & Dragons television series. Dungeons & Dragons is a popular tabletop roleplaying game in which players take on the roles of adventurers in a fantasy world. In addition to being one of the biggest non-video games in the world, Dungeons & Dragons is also the home to several popular fantasy realms that serve as the setting for video games, novels, and more. ComicBook.com previously reported that Hasbro was considering multiple live-action projects involving Dungeons & Dragons, including a television show. THR’s report notes that Hasbro is actively working with and looking for multiple writers to develop various projects set in the D&D universe.
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Paramount and eOne, Hasbro’s entertainment studio, are also in the middle of casting the live-action Dungeons & Dragons movie, which is set to come out in 2022. The Dungeons & Dragons movie is rumored to star Chris Pine, and will be directed by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley. The Hollywood Reporter did not report whether there is any plans for the TV series and the movie to be connected, or if both exist as separate projects.
Dungeons & Dragons has enjoyed a resurgence in popularity as of late, due to a confluence of factors. In addition to receiving mainstream exposure from shows like Stranger Things and The Big Bang Theory, Dungeons & Dragons has also received an influx of players thanks to popular live play web shows like Critical Role and The Adventure Zone. Both Critical Role and The Adventure Zone are being adapted into animated series, much in the same way that Dungeons & Dragons received an animated TV show back in the 1980s. Players have also stuck around with Dungeons & Dragons thanks to the game’s simplified Fifth Edition rules, which emphasizes roleplay and plot over adherence to dense rules.
Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have turned to Dungeons & Dragons as a social outlet, as the game can be played remotely using Zoom or other video conferencing software. The game’s basic rules are available for free online, although deeper rules require a set of rulebooks.
Dungeons & Dragons recently announced its first 2021 product this week – a series of standalone adventures called Candlekeep Mysteries.
