Polygon reports that a potential Dungeons & Dragons TV series is in the early stages of production. It’s headed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, writer and director of Red Notice, a staggeringly popular Netflix film, allegedly.
D&D has had a rich and successful history in video games. The same, unfortunately, cannot be said for the moving image. A 2000 film featuring the great Jeremy Irons is infamous for its schlock, and I only just found out about D&D: Wrath of the Dragon God and D&D: The Book of Vile Darkness, which both look less like diamonds in the rough and rather like more rough in the rough.
That hasn’t stopped Wizards of the Coast from pressing forward to have another bite at the apple, this time in an environment where genre shows are a booming success. Previous statements from Wizards, also reported on by Polygon, indicated that the show may adapt the story of Drizzt Do’Urden, erstwhile Dark Elf ranger and protagonist of 34 years worth of Forgotten Realms tie-in novels.
Now, I loved Drizzt when I was a kid, but in the year of our lord 2022, there’s another moody, conflicted, two swords-wielding, cool leather armor-wearing, weird eyes-having World’s Best Swordsman™ ruling the roost and he’s a Polish monster hunter who loves taking baths. It’s hard to imagine a Drizzt adaptation comparing favorably to Netflix’s fantasy hit, and the Drizzt rumors also date back to when different talent was attached to the project.
Aside from the Dark Elf, it’s not really clear to me who a D&D adaptation could revolve around. Perhaps it could focus on Elminster, Ed Greenwood’s alarmingly sexually active Gandalf-esque alter ego, or perhaps Gord the Rogue, Gary Gygax’s very own master thief of Greyhawk. Whatever route Wizards and Thurber take, another adaptation of a beloved sci-fi/fantasy property is coming and there is nothing you can do to stop it.