eOne's ambitious plans for a Dungeons & Dragons TV universe are taking shape with the hiring of an A-lister.
The indie studio has teamed up with Red Notice director Rawson Marshall Thurber to create a live-action TV series based on Hasbro's fantasy role-playing game franchise, from Wizards of the Coast. Thurber will write and direct the pilot script and executive produce the hour-long show, which has gotten interest from many buyers.
According to eOne's President of Global Television Michael Lombardo, Dungeons & Dragons adaptations have been "a big focus" since the company was acquired by Hasbro.
Netflix is likely to pursue the Dungeons & Dragons TV series (and related offshoots) since it has ties to Thurber via the Red Notice movie and Dungeons & Dragons via Stranger Things, sources said.
Thurber wrote, produced, and directed Red Notice, which became Netflix's most watched film of all time. Two sequels are in the works for Netflix, with Johnson, Reynolds and Gadot.
The D&D TV universe will add to eOne's film franchise. The production of eOne's Honor Among Thieves, jointly produced and financed with Paramount, has just wrapped. In the UK and Canada, eOne will distribute, and Paramount will distribute everywhere else.
Dungeons & Dragons features humans, elves, orcs, and other fantastical creatures engaging in wars, treasure hunts, and campaigns, all overseen by a Dungeon Master. Over 50 million people have played D&D since it was first released 46 years ago, including videogames and livestreams, and it seems that Thurber is one of them.
Thurber reacted to the news that he would be leading the project on Twitter, sharing his experience playing D&D growing up. “Boyhood dreams do come true, ya’ll,” he wrote.
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