Netflix confirms a live-action Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft series

Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series set in the franchise’s gothic horror world. The project is being developed by screenwriter John August, Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment.

The series is described as the successor to Netflix’s cancelled The Forgotten Realms project. Details such as casting, a release date and episode plans have not been announced. The project was reported by a new Deadline report.

A darker side of Dungeons & Dragons

Ravenloft moves away from the taverns, treasure hunts and light-hearted adventuring parties commonly associated with Dungeons & Dragons. Its stories centre on haunted castles, cursed territories, tragic monsters and an ever-present sense of danger hidden in the mist.

For players interested in tabletop-inspired entertainment, the setting offers a markedly different tone from traditional high fantasy. It is built around gothic dread, folklore and horror rather than straightforward heroic adventure.

Why Ravenloft is an important setting

Ravenloft dates back to the original 1983 adventure featuring Count Strahd von Zarovich. Strahd remains its best-known character: a vampire lord, tyrant and tragic monster trapped within the mist-covered land of Barovia.

The setting later expanded into the Domains of Dread, a collection of horror realms ruled by Darklords. These figures are often imprisoned in worlds shaped by their own sins, fixations and destructive desires.

That structure could allow a television adaptation to explore different horror stories while remaining within the same broader setting. Episodes could move between cursed folklore, gothic threats and supernatural nightmares without being limited to Barovia.

Beyond Barovia

Curse of Strahd remains the most familiar modern introduction to Ravenloft for many players. More recent books, including Van Richten’s Guide to Ravenloft and Ravenloft: The Horrors Within, have broadened the setting beyond Strahd’s domain and presented it as a framework for many types of D&D horror.

That breadth is one reason Ravenloft has remained one of the game’s most recognisable settings. A screen adaptation could draw on its established mythology while developing stories beyond the best-known vampire tale.

Dungeons & Dragons continues to expand on screen

The proposed series is part of a wider effort to take Dungeons & Dragons beyond its core tabletop format. Netflix previously developed The Forgotten Realms, but the new project is now positioned as its successor.

A sequel to Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves remains uncertain, although co-writer and co-director Jonathan Goldstein has said that a script exists.

The franchise’s reach has also grown through projects that are not traditional tabletop products. Baldur’s Gate 3 continues to attract players, modders and debate years after its 2023 launch, while Critical Role has helped establish actual-play entertainment as a major part of the broader role-playing audience through live shows and animated adaptations.

What we know so far

• Title: Ravenloft
• Format: Live-action television series
• Platform: Netflix
• Setting: The Ravenloft horror world, including its Domains of Dread
• Developers: John August, Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment
• Connection: Positioned as the successor to the cancelled The Forgotten Realms project

As production information is still limited, the key question is whether the series will focus on Strahd and Barovia or use Ravenloft’s wider collection of horror domains. For more tabletop and arcade coverage, visit the RETROCADE Arcade Blog, explore the arcade video collection, or browse the arcade machine buying guide.