Hasbro is in the process of developing a TV series based on the fantasy tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and they've tapped the creator and writer of the action-heavy John Wick franchise, Derek Kolstad, to write and pitch the show. Dungeons & Dragons has been around since 1974, but it's experienced something of a renaissance lately, with sales rising 20% from 2019 to 2020. Between portrayals in popular shows like Stranger Things and the success of live stream series like Critical Role, general awareness of and interest in the classic game is rising.
Dungeons & Dragons, known colloquially to fans as D&D, is a fairly structured but still open-ended game that allows its players to act out a wide variety of fantasy scenarios. Involving magic, combat, and social interactions, players go through a "campaign" - a series of story-based adventures - with little to no limitations aside from the players' imagination. Campaigns are led by Dungeon Masters, who oversee the game and guide players through the story.
THR reports Hasbro's entertainment studio, eOne, wants to make a live-action Dungeons & Dragons TV show, and they've hired Kolstad to pitch and write it. Since it's still in such an early phase of development, there are no plot or cast details available. Similarly, the series does not appear to have been sold to a network yet.
While there haven't been many updates as to what exactly the story will be - considering the freshness of the news - Kolstad's series won't be the only upcoming release based on the game. eOne is also making a live-action movie based on the franchise reportedly starring Chris Pine, and expected to be out for release in 2022. Aside from the TV series and movie, eOne is reportedly exploring even more filmed projects based on D&D, though the company hasn't released any information on them yet.
While the upcoming TV series and film are undoubtedly exciting for some, Dungeons & Dragons doesn't have a great track record when it comes to filmed interpretations of the game. There was a poorly received live-action film trilogy in the early 2000s and an animated series that had a lukewarm reception in the 1980s. The number of D&D adaptations eOne has in the works could easily lead to oversaturation, too. But the TV series does have at least one strong point in its favor: Kolstad. Kolstad's John Wick movies are known for not only their intense action sequences but also heartbreaking moments and impressive box office numbers. Despite the movies being more grounded in reality than the fantasy game is, Kolstad's ability to successfully write a hero with heart barreling through an action-packed world makes him an ideal choice for a D&D-centric story. While the Dungeons & Dragons TV series is still in very early development, hiring Kolstad is definitely a good sign.
Source: THR
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