Joe Manganiello confirmed he still wants his Dragonlance TV series to happen despite its official cancellation in 2024 after five years of development. The actor, known for his roles in Justice League and One Piece, served as showrunner and screenwriter on the live-action adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons setting that first introduced him to tabletop role-playing. Leadership changes at Entertainment One derailed the project, but Manganiello told IGN at Lucca Comics and Games that new leadership at Wizards of the Coast has given him fresh optimism. For fans of the Dragonlance novels and D&D lore, this represents a rare second chance for a project many assumed was dead forever.
The cancellation stemmed from what Manganiello described as a "change of leadership" and "shuffling going on within Entertainment One" that left the project without champions. He was hired by Michael Lombardo, his former boss at HBO, who envisioned the series as the next Game of Thrones. Lombardo departed the company, and Manganiello's producing partner also left, leaving the actor without internal advocates as he turned in scripts. With the project officially canned in 2024, Manganiello thought he was done — until Dan Ayoub's recent promotion to President of Wizards of the Coast & Hasbro Digital Games shifted the landscape just four days before the interview.
The Project's Development and Cancellation
Manganiello spent five years developing the Dragonlance series as both showrunner and screenwriter, a role that gave him unusual creative control over the adaptation. He described the original vision as creating "the next Game of Thrones" for Lombardo, who understood and believed in his pitch for the property.
The collapse came when both Lombardo and Manganiello's producing partner exited Entertainment One within a short window. New leadership arrived with "different ideas" and different priorities, leaving the Dragonlance project and a companion documentary without institutional support. Manganiello characterized the orphaned projects as "nobody's child" — a common fate for development projects when the executives who greenlit them depart. The official cancellation in 2024 marked what appeared to be the definitive end.
New Leadership Creates Fresh Opportunity
Dan Ayoub's promotion to President of Wizards of the Coast & Hasbro Digital Games has fundamentally changed Manganiello's outlook. Ayoub previously served as senior vice president of Dungeons & Dragons, giving him deep institutional knowledge of the brand and its community. Manganiello described him as "a fantastic leader. He gets it, and we work really well together." The timing is striking — Ayoub assumed the presidency just four days before the Lucca Comics interview, suggesting the leadership transition is still settling.
Manganiello believes there are now "talented people within the building now that are doing some amazing things" and expressed confidence that "we're going to do some amazing things together." He specifically mentioned that the documentary project, which faced the same leadership vacuum, is "actually going to be closer to getting out as well."
Broader D&D Media Landscape
The Dragonlance series exists within a complicated media environment for Dungeons & Dragons. The 2023 film Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves earned strong critical reviews but delivered a lackluster commercial performance, complicating the case for expensive live-action adaptations. There is allegedly a second movie script floating around, but its production status remains unknown, leaving the franchise's film future uncertain. Television may offer a more sustainable path for D&D storytelling, allowing the deeper character development and world-building that the Dragonlance novels exemplify.
Manganiello's persistence also reflects his broader history with shelved superhero projects. He previously portrayed Deathstroke in a post-credits scene for Ben Affleck's cancelled Batman movie, giving him personal experience with high-profile projects that never reached audiences. That background likely informs his measured optimism — he acknowledges the door is open but cautions against getting hopes up too high until concrete announcements materialize. The actor's genuine passion for D&D, documented across years of public play sessions and advocacy, makes him an unusually credible champion for the material.
Key Takeaways
- Joe Manganiello spent five years as showrunner and screenwriter on a live-action Dragonlance TV series before its 2024 cancellation
- Leadership changes at Entertainment One, including the departure of Michael Lombardo and Manganiello's producing partner, orphaned the project
- Dan Ayoub's recent promotion to President of Wizards of the Coast & Hasbro Digital Games has renewed Manganiello's hope for both the series and a companion documentary
- The 2023 film Honor Among Thieves succeeded critically but underperformed commercially, leaving D&D's live-action future uncertain
What happens next depends largely on whether Ayoub's new authority translates into greenlighting power for projects like Dragonlance. The leadership change is days old, and corporate strategy shifts rarely move at the speed of fan enthusiasm. But Manganiello's refusal to abandon the project — and his specific endorsement of the current leadership — suggests the conversation has moved from "if" back to "when." For a property that defined a generation of fantasy readers, that shift alone is worth tracking.
Sources
I was hired by Michael Lombardo, who was my old boss at HBO. He hired me to create a television show, to create the next Game of Thrones for him, but then he was gone.
