There’s still no word on whether the live-actionDungeons and Dragonsshow is still happening.Paramount has stepped away from theD&Dseries, although it seems willing to shop it around. But, if and when it does happen, the production can learn a lot from Amazon’sThe Legend of Vox Machina, which just finished releasing its third season while maintaining an incredible100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
There have been several live-action attempts atDungeons and Dragonsover the years, and while the most recent film,Dungeons & Dragons:Honor Among Thieves, has proven itself a cult success,the otherD&Dmovies are notorious failures. With the future of live-actionD&Dmedia now up in the air,prospective showrunners need to look for inspiration elsewhere if they wish to succeed. Fortunately,The Legend of Vox Machinaprovides a great template.
If A Live-Action Dungeons And Dragons Show Happens, It Must Learn From The Legend Of Vox Machina
Since its debut in 2022,The Legend of Vox Machinahas been delivering just the kind of chaotic, violent, heartfelt adventure thatD&Dfans love. This is only to be expected, sinceVox Machinais an adaptation of Critical Role’s first campaign, which not only usedD&Drules but has since become canonized inD&Dlore since the release of theExplorer’s Guide to Wildemountsourcebook andCall of the Netherdeepadventure module.The Legend of Vox Machinais a distillation of whatD&Dis all about, an essential quality that any live-action adaptation must incorporate.
Perhaps the biggest takeaway fromVox Machinais the blend of honoring theD&Dsource material and accessible storytelling. While the show is demonstrably designed forD&Dloyalists, its universal critical acclaim proves that the show is much more than fan fiction. This discipline is something any adaptation should incorporate. However, there are other important lessons for a prospectiveD&Dlive-action to implement.
What A Live-Action Dungeons And Dragons Show Can Take Away From The Amazon Series
One of the main reasonsVox Machinahas been so incredibly successful after three full seasons is that the show is just plain fun. The party members all get their moments in the spotlight, doing spectacular stunts and the jaw-dropping acts of violence thatD&Dplayers all dream of, butthe show never gets bogged down in the minutiae of game rules. While players do love table talk, it can all too often detract from the dramatic tension of a scene – somethingVox Machinapatently understands.
Travis Willingham Teases Critical Role’s Future Adaptations: “The Calamity Miniseries Is Of Great Interest”
Travis Willingham discusses the future of Critical Role’s adaptations, specifically naming Calamity miniseries and hinting at non-Critical Role IP.
Another important takeaway fromVox Machinais how the show handles exposition.Backstory, lore, and details are all essential to achieving the feel of a game ofDungeons and Dragons, but there is an important balancing act in avoiding either swamping the audience with too much exposition but also not leaving everyone scratching their heads as to what is going on.Honor Among Thievesdid this well enough, but againVox Machinanails the target, with the scope of the show slowly expanding as the characters gain more power and, to their dismay, more responsibility.
Demand for live-actionDungeons and Dragonscontent is only going to increase over the next yearas the rest of the updated core rulebooks are released. Now that thethird season ofThe Legend of Vox Machinahas endedand a fourth season is already in the works, viewers will be looking to get their fill of foul-mouthed, violent adventurers wherever they can. Hopefully, a live-actionD&Dshow will soon be announced that serves as a worthy successor toVox Machina.
Dungeons and Dragons
Dungeons and Dragons is a popular tabletop game originally invented in 1974 by Ernest Gary Gygax and David Arneson. The fantasy role-playing game brings together players for a campaign with various components, including abilities, races, character classes, monsters, and treasures. The game has drastically expanded since the ’70s, with numerous updated box sets and expansions.
