Dungeons & Dragons Ravenloft live-action series announced for Netflix

A new live-action Dungeons & Dragons television series set in the Ravenloft setting is coming to Netflix, following the cancellation of an earlier Forgotten Realms project.

According to creator John August and executive producer Alfonso Cuarón, the upcoming series will explore Ravenloft, one of Dungeons & Dragons' darker settings.

The pair described it as a “prestige fantasy series where adventure collides with gothic horror and tragic romance.”

The series will focus on the origins of Darklord Strahd von Zarovich, one of the franchise's best-known villains. The story will explore his transformation into a vampire and examine themes including power, love and obsession.

“Ravenloft and its Domains of Dread redefine adventure through character-driven stories of dark magic and supernatural intrigue. At the heart of the series, Ravenloft 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.”

Ravenloft is known for its gothic horror influences and supernatural stories, with the setting featuring vampires, hags and other creatures alongside darker themes.

The new series is therefore expected to differ in tone from the more traditional fantasy associated with Dungeons & Dragons' Forgotten Realms setting.

The announcement follows the scrapping of a previously planned live-action Dungeons & Dragons series based on the Forgotten Realms. The Ravenloft project instead shifts the franchise's television focus towards gothic horror and the story of Strahd.