In addition to the big screen adaptation starring Chris Pine, Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves, D&D is now poised to return to TV, with Paramount+ ordering an 8-episode series from studio eOne.
According to him, the studio had interest from several buyers deadline (opens in new tab), but the streaming service, which also includes the dubious Halo adaptation, won. The show will be a co-production between eOne and Paramount Pictures, with Rawson Marshall Thurber directing the first episode, which he also wrote the script for.
While the plot and setting have yet to be revealed, chances are it will focus on both laughs and goblin-killing as Thurber also wrote and directed Dodgeball, Central Intelligence, and Red Notice. This isn’t Thruber’s only game adaptation either, as he also directs The Division, based on Ubisoft’s multiplayer series.
Despite the lukewarm critical response to Halo, the series has been a success for Paramount+, so it’s no surprise that the streaming platform is eager to see more game-based shows. I’m sure the popularity of Amazon’s Rings of Power, Netflix’s Witcher series and spin-offs, and HBO’s House of the Dragon makes another fantasy show appealing as well. It could also potentially launch a D&D universe of scripted and unscripted shows.
Unlike the original Dungeons & Dragons show, which aired for three seasons in the mid-80s and caused at least one kid to become obsessed with D&D (that kid is me), the Paramount+ show will feature a live-action be deal. Nothing is known about the cast yet.
While the popularity of D&D – and tabletop gaming in general – seems to be on the rise, aided by a variety of factors from the pandemic to Stranger Things, it doesn’t seem like things are going too well in the video game adaption realm. That was reported last week Wizards of the Coast had at least five D&D games canceled (opens in new tab)though it declined to comment on which games were affected.
Paramount+ has yet to announce a date for the new show, but we can still get our live action D&D kicks on March 31 when Honor Among Thieves arrives.