A new live-action Dungeons & Dragons TV series is now in development at Netflix, based on the popular Gothic horror fantasy Ravenloft campaign, Variety reports today.
The new live-action series, in collaboration with Hasbro-owned “D&D” maker Wizards of the Coast, hails from creator John August (Frankenweenie, Big Fish) and executive producer Alfonso Cuarón.
It’s described as a “prestige fantasy series where adventure collides with gothic horror and tragic romance; Ravenloft and its Domains of Dread redefine adventure through character-driven stories of dark magic and supernatural intrigue.
“At the heart of the series, Ravenloft follows the making of the vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, whose story of power, love, obsession, and undead transformation charts his origins from tragic antihero to one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most notorious villains.”
The hugely popular Ravenloft campaign launched in 1983 by creators Tracy and Laura Hickman and has inspired novels, tabletop RPG modules, video games, and companion rulebooks.
Most recently, Ravenloft went full throttle into cosmic horror territory, with the 288-page Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. Aaron Boehm wrote that this horror-forward edition delivers “a series of settings, creatures, villains, and character creation options that can be added to the world, allowing you to explore the darker side of D&D.“
Executive producers include Gabriel Marano for Hasbro, Richard Schwartz, and Gaby Rodriguez for Esperanto Filmoj.
