EXCLUSIVE: Let the Mists roll in — Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a live-action series based on the popular gothic horror setting of Dungeons & Dragons. The drama comes from writer/executive producer John August, executive producer Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment.
This is a new project with new auspices that is not related to The Forgotten Realms, a live-action series taking place in the titular D&D setting that Netflix put into development in early 2025 with Drew Crevello writing and Shawn Levy executive producing. That D&D adaptation is no longer in development at the streamer, Deadline has learned.
Described as a prestige fantasy series where adventure collides with gothic horror and tragic romance, Ravenloft and its Domains of Dread tackle adventure through character-driven stories of dark magic and supernatural intrigue. At its heart, the series follows the making of the vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, whose story of power, love, obsession, and undead transformation charts his origins from tragic antihero to one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most notorious villains.
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Ravenloft writer August executive produces alongside Gabriel Marano for Hasbro as well as Cuarón, Richard Schwartz, and Gaby Rodriguez for Cuarón’s Esperanto Filmoj.
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Being in the gothic horror genre, Ravenloft would fit alongside Netflix’s hit supernatural mystery/coming-of-age comedy-drama Wednesday, which has that sensibility too, in large part because of Tim Burton’s role as director and executive producer.
August has solid gothic credentials having written/co-written five Burton movies, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie.
Ravenloft, one of the most played Dungeons & Dragons settings, was introduced in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman. Since then, it has spawned more than a hundred official novels, tabletop RPG modules, video games, and companion rulebooks, along with countless fan creations.
Both Ravenloft and Strahd were referenced in the recent series finale of another hugely popular Netflix horror/coming-of-age series, Stranger Things, which weaved Dungeons & Dragons into its storytelling throughout its run, including opening and closing the show with its lead characters playing the game.
This marks Cuarón’s return to Netflix eight years after his movie Roma premiered on the streamer. It went on to make history with its 10 Oscar nominations, including landing Netflix’s first Best Picture nomination and delivering its first Oscar wins outside of the Documentary Short Subject category — for Best International Film as well as two for Cuarón, Best Director and Best Cinematography. (Cuarón won two more Oscars for Gravity, for directing and editing.)
Featuring humans, elves, orcs and other fantastical creatures engaging in wars, treasure hunts and campaigns, the Dungeons & Dragons game, hailing from Wizards of the Coast, is overseen by a host, known as the Dungeon Master, and employs the signature multisided dice.
With D&D being one of Hasbro’s top brands, the company had made getting a live-action series adaptation off the ground a priority over the past five years alongside the 2023 movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
In addition to The Forgotten Realms, previous incarnations include a D&D drama from Rawson Marshall Thurber and Crevello, which received a straight-to-series order at Paramount+ in early 2023 but didn’t go forward.
All have been produced by Hasbro Entertainment, which also has Baldur’s Gate, a drama series in development at HBO based on Wizards of the Coast’s video game franchise, which is set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. The high-profile project is poised to be Emmy winner Craig Mazin’s followup series to another game adaptation, The Last Of Us.
August’s feature writing credits also include Doug Liman’s Go, McG’s Charlie’s Angels and Guy Ritchie’s Aladdin. In TV, he co-created with Dick Wolf the short-lived 2000 WB series D.C. August is repped by UTA, 3 Arts and HJTH.
In TV, Cuarón wrote, directed and executive produced the Apple TV limited series Disclaimer, starring Cate Blanchett, and has a new drama series at the streamer, where he is under a first-look deal, Ascension, starring Caitríona Balfe. He is repped by WME, Blue Marble Management and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole.
Next up for Netflix in the horror genre is coming-of-age drama The Body, created by Quinn Shephard.
