A live-action TV series adaptation of Hasbro’s Dungeons & Dragons was moving ahead at what seemed like pace. Paramount+ had handed out an eight-episode, straight-to-series order back in January last year. So far, so good.
Well, not anymore, as according to a report in TV Line the old “creative differences” have reared their heads, and Paramount+ has pulled out of the project. The creative team is being removed, and when a new version has been spun up Hasbro will be free to shop ot around elsewhere.
In a usual Hollywood case of trying to run before they can walk, much talk was about how this would have been a small-screen universe spanning multiple shows.
The talent was decent enough, with Rawson Marshall Thurber (Skyscraper, Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story) behind the script and Drew Crevello (WeCrashed) as showrunner.
A live-action version from 2000 that tried to cash in on Lord Of The Rings was absolute dogshit and rightly savaged. Last year’s Chris Pine-led Honor Among Thieves was way, way better than anyone expected and tremendous fun.
Reviews were solid and it felt like it should have grossed more than its $210 million worldwide. If you haven’t seen it yet, it is worth your time.
Arguably the most famous screen adaption of Dungeons And Dragons was the 1980s animated series on CBS that ran for 27 episodes. This version follows six children who are transported to the realm of Dungeons And Dragons via a portal in an amusement park ride.
This animated Dungeons and Dragons became the subject of some controversy, as many judged it too scary for children, and felt the animated violence was too much for a kids cartoon.
Parent groups complained when one episode had the children consider murdering Venger. The National Coalition on Television Violence demanded the show air with a warning that Dungeons & Dragons had been linked to real-life violent deaths after a mother blamed her son’s suicide on his involvement with the game.
With pressure groups claiming RPGs contained Satanic influences, the show was abruptly canceled and fans never knew if Hank, Eric, and company finally made it home.
A script did exist for a finale, entitled Requiem. In it, Dungeon Master and evil opposite Venger decide to test the group’s courage with a quest to find a key that pits their allegiance to the Dungeon Master against temptations levied by Venger. Dungeon Master pretends to abandon them to the realm.
The group fractures as their loyalty to each other is tested and, eventually, it is revealed that Venger is Dungeon Master’s son, cursed by an evil rival master.
The episode would have ended with them standing in front of their portal home and faced with a choice, go back to their former life, or remain in the realm as defenders of the light.
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