Dungeons & Dragonsis one of the most beloved role-playing games in history, making it surprising there haven’t been more successful movie and TV adaptations of the complex and compelling campaigns. Recently, the explosive popularity and critical acclaim ofThe Legend of Vox Machinahave shown that there’s an audience out there for additional projects. This could help pave the way for the potential live-action TV series based onD&D, but there will still be plenty of problems to grapple with. Namely,the show will have to pick the right story that stands out and engages fans, new and old.
As of now, the live-actionD&DTV adaptation doesn’t have a home.Paramount missed aDungeons & Dragonsopportunityby choosing not to pick up the series. Due to this, the live-action TV show will be shopped around to other potential studios. However, one universe within theD&Dworld,Dragonlance, would make perfect sense for the series and likely attract interest from producers.However, there’s an issue the writers and creators will face when writing this narrative for the screen. ThoughDragonlanceis a far-reaching plot, it’s not the perfect solution.
The Most Obvious Story For A Dungeons & Dragons Show Is Based On Dragonlance
This would be a popular and accessible place for the series to start
TheDragonlancecampaign makes the most sense for any potentialD&DTV shownow that Paramount has canceled its plans for the series despite the streaming success ofDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Due to its fame, notoriety, and expansive world,Dragonlancehas no shortage of open-world possibilities. Using theDragonlance Chroniclesbook series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman and drawing inspiration from the campaigns that take place within this world would be a great progression for the show. Hickman and her sister Tracy are the original creators of the universe.
There are many benefits of drawing from such an encompassing world, as the geography, characters, lore, and politics have already been well fleshed out.
There are many benefits of drawing from such an encompassing world, as the geography, characters, lore, and politics have already been well fleshed out. This gives the writers and creative team the opportunity to use this well-built world as the setting for an original show with characters that pay tribute to the many different takes onDragonlance. Naturally,dragons play an enormous role in the development of the plot.However, aDungeons & DragonsTV show based onDragonlancemight be hard to watchbecause audiences have seen similar narratives many times before.
A Dragonlance Show May Have Trouble Standing Out In The Current Fantasy Landscape
There are too many similar series that deal with dragons
The first thing that comes to mind when contemplating aDragonlanceseries is the prevalence of narratives that feature dragons in contemporary fantasy TV.Recent series likeGame of Thronesbrought dragons back to the forefront of speculative fictionnarratives on TV, and withHouse of the Dragoncurrently airing and more spinoffs on the way, the franchise isn’t going anywhere. Additionally, there are plenty of other dragon-oriented shows planned for the future, with the television adaptation ofThe Empyreannovels in development. Rebecca Yarros' books rely heavily on dragons and their connection with their riders.
Fourth Wing’s TV Show Will Be The Perfect Replacement For A Canceled Netflix Series That Deserved Better
Amazon’s Fourth Wing TV show is a highly anticipated series, and it could be the perfect replacement for a popular show Netflix canceled too soon.
Additionally,Disney has plans to bring theEragonbooks to life, which will make another addition to the ever-growing list of dragons in fantasy television. Though none of these stories are exactly the same, they’re similar enough to make adaptingDragonlancemore risky.Audiences will ask themselves what makes this new story that features dragons uniqueand why they should tune into one series rather than the others. Since so much ofD&Dtakes place within a traditional fantasy world already, it will be important for the upcoming show to challenge this and itself to be different from the rest.
How Dungeons & Dragons Can Set Itself Apart From Its Competitors
If the series goes with a different campaign, it could present a more unique offering
ThoughDragonlancemakes the most sense on paper,tackling a different universe could also be a path forward for theD&Dseries.The opportunities for original storytelling are practically endless for the show, thanks to the many creative worlds and characters that players, fans, and writers have been imagining for decades. Instead of focusing on the limitations of one story angle, theD&Dseries team must look toward the opportunities that such an innovative franchise and fanbase creates. However, ifDragonlanceis chosen as the jumping-off point for the series, there are still ways it can distinguish itself.
A Dungeons & Dragons Dragonlance TV Show Could Deliver On 1 Of Game Of Thrones' Coolest Underused Concepts
Adapting Dungeons & Dragons' epic Dragonlance into a TV show could make good on one of Game of Thrones' most exciting promises.
The dragons inDragonlancedon’t have to be the war machines they are inGame of Thronesor the weapons/teammates ofFourth Wing. Inherently,D&Dmakes them more mysterious, and their connection to the gods inDragonlanceputs them on a different plane, which is something the series could lean into. Of course, they’ll still be dangerous and used in combat, but that doesn’t have to be their only trait. It will be a long time before the live-actionDungeons & DragonTV show is brought to life onscreen, and anticipation is only going to grow in the meantime.
Dungeons & Dragons
TheDungeons & Dragonsfranchise is a fantasy adventure series based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game. The franchise includes both live-action and animated adaptations, with the most notable being the recent filmDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves(2023), which brought the fantasy world of D&D to a broader audience with its blend of humor, action, and classic D&D elements. The franchise explores themes of heroism, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of adventuring in a magical world filled with dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.
