Netflix to bring dark new ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ series to life with major Hollywood name
‘Ravenloft’ is officially in the works at Netflix, as per Deadline. The live-action series, from writer and executive producer John August and executive producers Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment, will bring the iconic Dungeons & Dragons setting to the screen as a standalone series rather than a spinoff of an existing property. Cuarón is one of Hollywood's most acclaimed Oscar-winning filmmakers known for his work in 'Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,' 'Gravity,' 'Children of Men,' and more.
‘Ravenloft,’ one of D&D’s oldest and most popular campaign settings, was first introduced as a 1983 adventure module and later appeared as an official setting in 1990. It was set in the ‘Demiplane of Dread,’ a mysterious realm of shadowy domains ruled by Darklords who were imprisoned within their own lands due to their sins. The Netflix series will focus on the most famous of them all: Strahd von Zarovich, a vampire lord who rules over Barovia.
Strahd von Zarovich, a centuries-old vampire, is the D&D equivalent of Dracula, and his name was uttered in the finale of ‘Stranger Things’ by Vecna. According to the outlet, the upcoming series will blend fantasy with adventure, gothic horror, and romance. It will chronicle the life of a dark hero turned infamous villain, Strahd von Zarovich. Rather than following the swashbuckling adventures of a traditional D&D party like ‘Honor Among Thieves,’ the new project will take a more tragic path, one that delves deep into the dark heart of Barovia and the monstrous soul of Strahd himself.
John August, who wrote ‘Corpse Bride’ and ‘Frankenweenie,’ will write the series. Notably, the news follows another announcement regarding D&D and Netflix. The streamer had another live-action series in development since 2025, based on the ‘Forgotten Realms.’ Drew Crevello wrote the series and Shawn Levy executive produced it. However, it has since been canceled, paving the way for ‘Ravenloft’ to take its place.
This is not the first time D&D has attempted to make the jump to television, as Paramount+ greenlit a straight-to-series D&D adaptation from Rawson Marshall Thurber in January 2023, which was set to debut in 2025. However, it was canceled in mid-2024 after ‘Honor Among Thieves’ proved to be a box office disappointment and Hasbro, which owns the D&D IP, sold eOne to Lionsgate. Now, the new ‘Ravenloft’ series is said to be in development with cooperation from Wizards of the Coast, the publishing company owned by Hasbro that put out the new edition of the game. There is currently no word on who will star in the series or when it will debut, though the project may follow in the footsteps of Netflix's ‘Wednesday’ by embracing a horror-driven tone and leaning into its Gothic roots.
