Dungeons & Dragons Live-Action Series Ravenloft in, The Forgotten Realms Out at Netflix

Netflix is developing Ravenloft, a live-action series set in the popular gothic horror corner of the Dungeons & Dragons universe.

The drama hails from writer and executive producer John August, executive producer Alfonso Cuarón and Hasbro Entertainment. The project marks a new Dungeons & Dragons television effort at Netflix and is not connected to The Forgotten Realms, the live-action series the streamer put into development in early 2025 with Drew Crevello writing and Shawn Levy executive producing. That project is no longer moving forward at Netflix.

Described as a prestige fantasy series in which adventure collides with gothic horror and tragic romance, Ravenloft will explore the setting’s Domains of Dread through character-driven stories of dark magic and supernatural intrigue. At the center is the origin story of vampire Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, charting his transformation from tragic antihero into one of Dungeons & Dragons’ most infamous villains.

Strahd’s journey is rooted in themes of power, love and obsession, ultimately culminating in his transformation into an undead tyrant.

August arrives on the project with deep gothic and fantasy bona fides. His screenwriting credits include five films directed by Tim Burton: Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Dark Shadows and Frankenweenie.

Introduced in 1983 by Tracy and Laura Hickman, Ravenloft has become one of the most enduring and frequently played settings in Dungeons & Dragons. The gothic-horror world has expanded well beyond the tabletop, generating more than 100 official novels, role-playing game modules, video games and companion rulebooks, in addition to countless fan-created works.

The setting is part of Hasbro’s broader push to expand Dungeons & Dragons beyond the tabletop. The toy and entertainment giant has spent the past five years prioritizing a live-action series adaptation of the franchise, working in parallel with the 2023 feature Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.

The company’s previous television efforts have included the Netflix Forgotten Realms project, as well as a Dungeons & Dragons drama from Rawson Marshall Thurber and Crevello. That series received a straight-to-series order at Paramount+ in early 2023 but ultimately did not move forward.

Hasbro Entertainment is behind those efforts and is also developing Baldur’s Gate, a drama series at HBO based on Wizards of the Coast’s hit video game franchise set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons. That high-profile project is expected to serve as Emmy winner Craig Mazin’s follow-up series to HBO’s acclaimed video game adaptation The Last of Us.

With Ravenloft, Netflix and Hasbro are taking another swing at translating one of the most recognizable properties in tabletop gaming to the small screen — this time through the darker, more romantic and horror-driven mythology of one of D&D’s most iconic villains.