Beloved Fantasy Franchise's Scrapped TV Show Gets Hopeful Update After Years Of Uncertainty

A major fantasy franchise’s canceled TV series might not be completely scrapped just yet.

A TV adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons may still have a future despite being canceled more than two years ago. Joe Manganiello has offered a positive update about his Dragonlance series, revealing that he has not abandoned the project. He said that he still believes his live-action series can make it to the screen.

Manganiello is best known for his roles in Justice League, True Blood, and Netflix’s One Piece. He has been a lifelong fan of Dungeons & Dragons and the Chief Creative Officer of D&D Icons. His love for the tabletop role-playing game eventually led to an opportunity to develop a TV adaptation of Dragonlance, one of the franchise’s settings. However, the project faced several issues behind the scenes before its cancellation was confirmed in 2024.

In an interview with IGN, Manganiello discussed the circumstances surrounding the show’s cancellation and explained why he believes the adaptation could eventually become a reality. The actor revealed that changes in leadership played a major role in preventing the series from moving forward, despite all the time and effort he had put into it.

Manganiello explained that Michael Lombardo, the former President of Programming at HBO, originally recruited him to create the Dungeons & Dragons series. The goal was to develop something that could rival other major fantasy hits like Game of Thrones. However, Lombardo’s departure left the project without the executive who originally brought it to the table.

According to Manganiello, the new leadership had different priorities, making things more difficult for the series while he was writing his screenplay. After around five years of work, the actor ultimately didn’t end up having the financial support he needed to continue developing the adaptation.

Despite the initial disappointment, Manganiello is more optimistic about returning to the fantasy franchise. He praised Dan Ayoub, the president of Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro Digital Games, and expressed his enthusiasm regarding their working relationship and potential collaborations in the future.

Manganiello added that producing a Dragonlance TV show remains one of his long-term goals, saying he would never abandon it. He also revealed that other people have also been interested in making the previously scrapped series a reality again. However, his comments should not be interpreted as an official confirmation that the Dungeons & Dragons project has been revived.

There are no official plans for a Dragonlance TV show at the time of this article’s publication.