Dungeons & Dragonshas been contemplating its live-action TV show since 2021, and the perfect plan for it is probably surprisingly far removed fromDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.Honor Among Thieves, released in 2024, represents the best oftheDungeons & Dragonsmovies. Although it performed disappointingly at the box office, it was widely adored by fans and critics. It was a huge step up from the first threeD&Dmovies, which came out between 2000 and 2012. And yet, the live-action show should take a different approach.
While cutting humor akin to that ofHonor Among Thievescould never be unwelcome in futureD&Dadaptations, the live-action TV show should marry this with a darker tone, or prioritize the darkness. Then, it could deliver the kind of dark fantasy that streamers are thirsty for. Shows likeWednesdayprove this thirst. But more importantly, it is high timeD&Dadapted classic characters, rather than piling new ones into the mix.The Legend of Drizztbooksoffer the best characters for the job, particularly because of their outstanding character development.
Jarlaxle & Artemis Are The Perfect Dungeons & Dragons Characters For A TV Show
Drow ranger Drizzt Do’Urdenshould be the main character ofDungeons & Dragons’live-action TV show, and the supporting characters around him will be just as crucial to the show’s success. Drizzt was introduced by American author R.A. Salvatore in 1988 inThe Crystal Shard, the first book inThe Icewind Dale Trilogy,although he wasn’t intended to be the protagonist. Salvatore’s first published novel was a hit - especially Drizzt. This led Salvatore to make his next series,The Dark Elf Trilogy, a Drizzt prequel.These historical characters could draw in the crowdthatHonor Among Thievesdidn’t.
Casting A Drizzt TV Show: 10 Actors Who Would Be Perfect For Dungeons & Dragons' Dark Elf Hero
Drizzt Do’Urden, the Dark Elf of Dungeons & Dragons fame, is overdue for a TV show or movie, with certain actors seeming suitable for the role.
InThe Dark Elf Trilogy,Drizzt and his scimitarsfought back against the violent culture of the Underdark, which was tantalizingly teased inHonor Among Thieves. While Artemis was introduced as a villain in the Icewind Dale books, Jarlaxle was introduced as a complex villain of the Underdark in the prequel subseries. In many ways,Drizzt remains fairly staticthroughoutThe Legend of Drizzt. His immovable principles are what make him strong TV show lead material. But a truly great contemporary series also needs characters that develop significantly, and Jarlaxle and Artemis do just that.
What Makes Jarlaxle & Artemis The Right Characters For A Live-Action D&D Show
Jarlaxle & Artemis Are The Most Versatile D&D Characters
Like Severus Snape inHarry Potterand Jaime Lannister inGame of Thrones,Jarlaxle and Artemis offer 180-degree character developmentfrom villains to heroes of the highest caliber. Heroes like Harry Potter and Drizzt Do’Urden are successful because they grow ever more into their confidence and their true selves, which is evident from the start. But the best of contemporary fantasy, TV, and Hollywood in general, has been engaging viewers with the emotion of shocking character development. TheD&Dlive-action show would draw in old fans with the history of these characters and new ones with the sheer drama.
Drizzt was meant to lead the party through the Underdark inHonor Among Thieves, but Hasbro’s 2020 blog post apologizing after accusations of racist drow skin color led the movie to replace Drizzt with Xenk. The movie didn’t want to fan the flames ofDungeons & Dragons’mini drow controversybut would have benefited from Drizzt’s pull and other Underdark lore.The live-action TV show needs to utilize this fan-favorite Forgotten Realms storyline, which was also exploited in the critically acclaimed Waterdeep: Dragon Heist campaign. Jarlaxle was a highlight NPC of this campaign.
180-Degree Character Development Has Become The Secret Ingredient Of Good Fantasy
Character Heel-Face Turns Are The Secret Ingredient To The Winning Formula
K-dramas went viral with their exemplary heel-face turns, and Jarlaxle and Artemis areDungeons & Dragons’best bet at replicating this success. A character exhibiting a heel-face turn may start out a villain and end up becoming completely humbled or being revealed as someone who was self-sacrificing and kind all along. R.A.Salvatore wisely ended up devoting a whole series to the meandering misadventures of Jarlaxleand Artemis inSellswords. It was the most vitalThe Legend of Drizzthad felt in a while, confirming consumers' long-proven need to enact a redemption narrative in their own minds.
Jarlaxle starts the story as a shady mercenary leader of Menzoberranzan and ends up saving thousands of lives byLolth’s Warrior.
Villain-to-hero arcs are the gold standard of modern storytellingon screen, tapping into viewer guilt that finds a kind of projected resolution in character redemption while enabling a salvation fantasy, the ultimate comfort for many. Amazon Prime Video invented an Orc forThe Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power(Adar) and redeemed him by the end of season 2, offering the best TV it had written yet. Jarlaxle starts the story as a shady mercenary leader of Menzoberranzan and ends up saving thousands of lives byLolth’s Warrior, making him the perfect complement to Drizzt’s stability in a hypothetical live-action show.
What The Ideal Dungeons & Dragons Live-Action Show Would Look Like
A Dungeons & Dragons TV Show Must Focus On Its Characters
The live-action TV show currently being shopped by Hasbro has to be character-driven if it wants to succeed. And,it must maintain a tight focus on a few characters, rather than dropping viewers in with a vast and sprawling network of nobodies. A world-driven or plot-driven fantasy narrative like thatD&Dcould offer has been done a hundred times, but whereHonor Among Thievesdeserves a sequelis its perfect capture of the camaraderie of an adventuring party. Amazon’sThe Legend of Vox Machina, based onD&Dactual play web seriesCritical Role, succeeds in exactly the same way.
TheD&Dshow should keep Salvatore’s exciting plot but prioritize character growth and relationships to be relevant to old fans and new.
Amazon’sThe Wheel of Timeis exactly how theD&Dshow shouldn’t go. Neither the characters nor their relationships were developed enough to be cared about before characters started going their separate ways and doing a million complex things that obscured their personality, rather than clarifying it. It got harder to care about characters with each one added. TheD&Dshow should keep Salvatore’s exciting plot but prioritize character growth and relationships to be relevant to old fans and new. AMC+‘sInterview with the Vampireexhibits the exemplary character focus and development that Jarlaxle and Artemis could offerDungeons & Dragons.
Dungeons & Dragons
TheDungeons & Dragonsfranchise is a fantasy adventure series based on the iconic tabletop role-playing game. The franchise includes both live-action and animated adaptations, with the most notable being the recent filmDungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves(2023), which brought the fantasy world of D&D to a broader audience with its blend of humor, action, and classic D&D elements. The franchise explores themes of heroism, friendship, and the unpredictable nature of adventuring in a magical world filled with dragons, wizards, and mythical creatures.
