Netflix’s New Game Of Thrones Replacement Will Be The Biggest Fantasy Release This Decade

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Netflix is working on a new fantasy series that could be the next big hit like Game of Thrones. The show, produced by Shawn Levy, who also worked on Stranger Things, will be the first live-action TV adaptation of a hugely popular franchise that has been around for over 50 years.

Created in 1974 by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, Dungeons & Dragons has become a cornerstone of the fantasy genre’s culture. Starting as a tabletop role-playing game, it has since grown to include online versions and inspired a vast amount of related content, such as novels, films, and animated series.

It’s surprising there hasn’t been a live-action Dungeons & Dragons series until now, considering how popular fantasy shows are. Netflix seems eager to change that, and if they do it well, their adaptation of the classic game could become one of the greatest fantasy shows ever made.

Netflix’s new series, currently called The Forgotten Realms, is based on the popular campaign setting from the Dungeons & Dragons game. Considering how many people play D&D and the wealth of existing stories in the Forgotten Realms book series, it makes sense that Netflix would choose this world for their show.

Netflix’s The Forgotten Realms Has Unlimited Potential

Originally imagined by game designer Ed Greenwood when he was a child, the world of the Forgotten Realms became the official setting for Dungeons & Dragons in the late 1980s. It’s a vast fantasy universe filled with powerful gods, skilled wizards, magical cities, and classic creatures like elves and dwarves. The Forgotten Realms has inspired over 300 novels and numerous game guides.

A Netflix series based on this world has incredible potential and would almost certainly gain a large, devoted following. While other TV shows and movies have drawn inspiration from Dungeons & Dragons, a high-profile, live-action fantasy series on Netflix would be a completely different level of production and appeal.

Despite past Dungeons & Dragons movies not being box office hits, the new show, The Forgotten Realms, has the potential to be much more successful. It’s expected to attract a broad audience similar to early viewers of Game of Thrones, while also appealing to dedicated D&D fans.

In 2024, Hasbro, the company that owns Wizards of the Coast, estimated that around 50 million people worldwide were fans of Dungeons & Dragons. This is a significant number, especially when compared to the readership of Game of Thrones books by George R.R. Martin, which stood at 12 million when the TV series first aired.

While HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series is generating a lot of excitement, Netflix’s The Forgotten Realms has the potential to be even more impactful for the fantasy genre. This series could finally establish Dungeons & Dragons as a successful franchise on screen, and even turn the hugely popular role-playing game into a major TV hit.

Why The Forgotten Realms Is So Hard To Adapt For TV

News in February 2025 that Shawn Levy was creating a Netflix series based on The Forgotten Realms thrilled fantasy fans. However, Levy later explained that the show is taking time to develop, as adapting this particular fantasy world for television presents unique challenges compared to other fantasy adaptations.

In a recent interview with Collider, the producer shared that progress is being made gradually, but fans will need to be patient. Levy explained the difficulty he’s encountering with adapting The Forgotten Realms, saying:

You know, as a huge fan, I get why it’s taking so long to really nail a great Dungeons & Dragons movie or show. It’s not like adapting a book with a built-in story. You’re dealing with an entire world – its rules, its language, its whole vibe. That means most of the story has to be created from the ground up, and it has to feel like a natural extension of everything we already love about D&D. It’s a tough balancing act, but that’s what makes it so important to get right.

The new Netflix series needs to both stay true to the established history and feel of Dungeons & Dragons and the original game, but it’s also going to explore completely new stories instead of simply retelling existing ones from the Forgotten Realms universe.

Creating a good story often means carefully balancing detailed world-building with fresh, original ideas. Shows like The Mighty Nein and The Legend of Vox Machina don’t face this challenge because they’re based directly on existing stories from the Critical Role web series, which already provides both the world and the plot.

Developing the show is just starting, and there are many hurdles ahead. Key creative personnel – writers, producers, directors, and actors – haven’t been hired yet. Before filming can begin, they need to decide on the show’s overall style and specific storylines.

Even with the delays, this new Dungeons & Dragons series looks like it will be well worth seeing. When it finally arrives on Netflix, The Forgotten Realms has the potential to be the streaming service’s most epic fantasy show yet, possibly rivaling Game of Thrones.

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2026-05-11 23:39