Rawson Marshall Thurber to helm 'Dungeons & Dragons' TV series
Feb 01, 2022
Washington [US], February 1 : Rawson Marshall Thurber is all set to direct a TV series based on the role-playing game 'Dungeons & Dragons'.
As per Deadline, the indie studio eOne has closed a deal with the 'Red Notice' filmmaker to creatively oversee the flagship live-action television series based on Hasbro's wildly popular fantasy role-playing game franchise from Wizards of the Coast.
Thurber will write and direct the pilot script as well as executive produce the project, which has been garnering interest from multiple buyers.
Adapting 'Dungeons & Dragons' for television has been "a big focus" for eOne following the company's acquisition by Hasbro, eOne's President of Global Television Michael Lombardo told Deadline in November.
"We don't want it to just be one show, so we are building out, developing out a multi-pronged approach for television, a number of scripted shows and unscripted, and we hope to be taking this out to the marketplace early next year," he said.
The flagship live-action series, shepherded by Thurber, is expected to serve as a cornerstone of the TV universe as it continues to expand.
Thurber is the writer, producer and director of 'Red Notice', starring Dwayne Johnson, Ryan Reynolds and Gal Gadot, which became Netflix's most-watched film of all time. He is expected to return, along with Johnson, Reynolds and Gadot, for two sequels now in the works at Netflix.
The 'D&D' TV universe will complement eOne's film franchise. Production on eOne's untitled feature, jointly produced and financed with Paramount, recently wrapped. eOne will distribute in the UK and Canada, and Paramount in the rest of the world.
Featuring humans, elves, orcs and other fantastical creatures engaging in wars, treasure hunts and campaigns, the 'D&D' game is overseen by a host, known as the Dungeon Master, and employs a signature multisided dice. More than 50 million fans have played 'D&D' since it was first 46 years ago, including videogames and livestream entertainment on Twitch and YouTube.
Adapting the hugely popular game for television had been a sought-after assignment, with a number of high-profile writers offering their take on the material as part of the process.
