Put your crucifix away, hold the garlic, and don’t forget to sharpen your fangs, because Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a live-action series based on the popular gothic horror arena of Dungeons & Dragons. This new D&D project packs some serious heat with writer/executive producer John August, executive producer Alfonso Cuarón, and Hasbro Entertainment getting in on the action.
According to Deadline, Ravenloft is not related to The Forgotten Realms, a live-action series set in the D&D universe no longer in development at Netflix.
Think of Ravenloft as prestige fantasy with a heavy dose of gothic horror and tragic romance, trading standard dungeon crawls for character-driven stories packed with dark magic and supernatural shenanigans. At the center of the madness is Strahd von Zarovich. The series tracks his full, messy turn from tragic antihero to absolute monster, a classic tale of power, obsession, and bad choices that turned him into one of D&D’s most infamous villains.
Deadline is already likening the tone to Netflix’s Wednesday. That comparison makes sense given the setting’s gothic roots and August’s deep ties to Tim Burton, having co-written classics like Big Fish, Corpse Bride, and Dark Shadows.
While Dungeons & Dragons has plenty of expansions and spinoffs, Ravenloft, introduced in 1983, is one of the most popular offshoots in the long-running tabletop RPG game series. Over the decades, Ravenloft has paved the way for hundreds of novels, tabletop RPG modules, video games, and companion rulebooks, as well as countless fan creations.
Hearing that Netflix is adapting D&D’s Ravenloft expansion is giving me flashbacks to my youth. I played Dungeons & Dragons in junior high, and for one of our campaigns, we drew on Ravenloft lore. It was one of my first times playing with a group of people already familiar with the game. By the luck of the dice, I killed a haunting of ghosts early in the story, racking up a ton of experience. My fellow party members, despite being on the same side, were pissed, not having enjoyed my early windfall of points and item drops. In truth, they were just jealous. And, in hindsight, they were all jerks. That’s right, Tom, Brian, and Andrew! You heard me!
Are you excited about Netflix entering development on an ambitious adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons: Ravenloft? Let us know in the comments section below.