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With the release of the trailer for the new Dungeons and Dragons movie Honor Amongst Thieves, fans are excited to see what on-screen adventures could be in store for D&D fans. Over the many decades, the popular tabletop role-playing created, expanded, and destroyed many settings. Some settings, such as Greyhawk and the Forgotten Realms, have given fans much of the canon lore they know and love.
Meanwhile, newer settings, such as Critical Role's Exandria, gave fans deep and rich worlds to explore. While all the D&D settings would make great backdrops for silver-screen ventures, some are more anticipated than others.
10 Exandria Is A Fan-Favorite Setting
Critical Role, a popular live-play Twitch stream/podcast with a cast of professional voice actors, went viral for its incredible storytelling and dynamic characters. Dungeon Master Matt Mercer's world, Exandria, with its memorable continents of Marquet, Tal'Dorei, and Wildemount, quickly became a beloved setting and gained support from Wizards of the Coast.
Fans already get to see Exandria in the live-play show, and parts of Emon and Whitestone made into Amazon Prime Video's animated series The Legend of Vox Machina, but fans are itching to see more.
9 The Forgotten Realms Is A 5e Classic
The Forgotten Realms is one of the most famous settings currently supported in 5th Edition, and it's also the setting for Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves. It is a product of Ed Greenwood's imagination and has been in publication since the laIts0s.
Its most popular location is Faerûn, which features the famous Sword Coast (namesake of the sourcebook Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide). Other classic places include Icewind Dale (where Rime of the Frostmaiden, one of the hardest premade D&D campaigns for DMs, is set), Neverwinter, Waterdeep, Baldur's Gate, and the Endless Waste. So many campaigns and modules are set in these locations, making its on-screen debut exciting.
8 Spelljammer Is An Anticipated New 5e Addition
While Spelljammer is not a new setting, its first 5th Edition release is August 15th, 2022. Fans of movies such as Treasure Planet will recognize the aesthetic which features ships sailing in space, though it was not a film set in Spelljammer, just a similar setting.
For science fiction fans who don't want to lose the classic D&D fantasy elements, Spelljammer is the perfect place to start a campaign. There are many weird bits of Spelljammer lore to keep the setting exciting. It balances technology, cosmic horror, and magic without compromising on any genre. It would also make for a dynamic on-screen backdrop.
7 Magic: The Gathering Has Gamers From Two Fandoms
For fans of the wildly popular card game Magic: The Gathering, there are a series of D&D settings that Wizards of the Coast supports for 5th Edition. The sourcebooks include Guildmasters' Guide to Ravnica (a highly faction-based world), Strixhaven: A Curriculum of Chaos (a magic school), and Mythic Odysseys of Theros (which has a Greco-Roman theme translating into great D&D campaigns).
While these two settings are different, they provide a bridge connecting D&D and MTG fans, which often overlap anyway. With such a large fan base, these settings would be in high demand for a film or TV adaptation.
6 Eberron Is A Steampunk Staple
For those who want a more steampunk, construct-based setting but don't like Spelljammer's cosmic, space-theme aesthetic, Eberron is a popular location. Instead of magic-powered ships sailing through the Astral Sea, Eberron features airships, trains, and automatons in a grittier world.
This campaign setting gave fans the artificer class and the warforged and kalashtar races. Eberron is a war-torn land and emphasizes that not all is what it seems, as some traditionally evil monsters might be good, and vice versa. It would make for an unexpected film setting.
5 Ravenloft Is Perfect For Gothic Horror Lovers
Ravenloft, Barovia, and Strahd von Zarovich are names that resound across D&D tables everywhere. Few haven't heard of the vampire lord and his iron grip on the small town, Barovia. Its titular local, Castle Ravenloft, is one of D&D's best dungeons. The published adventure, Curse of Strahd, and its companion sourcebook, Van Richten's Guide to Ravenloft, comprise one of D&D's most beloved campaigns.
This gothic-horror setting debuted in the early 80s as part of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons. Since then, it has been a part of AD&D 2nd Edition, 3rd, 3.5, 4th, and 5th Editions. Since gothic horror is a well-liked genre outside of D&D, it could gather viewers from all around.
4 Planescape's Sigil Brings The Best Of The Interplanar Adventures
Sigil, or the City of Doors, is the centerpiece of David "Zeb" Cook's Planescape setting, literally and figuratively. It's a neutral city sitting at the campaign's very center, and from this location, players can access other planes or places within the D&D multiverse.
Planescape was one of the first D&D settings to tackle the multiverse in an attempt to connect the various settings and lore. It establishes the Inner Planes (or the four elemental planes, positive plane, and negative plane), the Outer planes (where each deity resides), the Prime Material Plane, the Astral Plane, and the Ethereal Plane. Even just the outer planes would make great D&D campaign settings. With so much on TV and in films regarding multiverses, it would be a great time to make a Planescape movie or show.
3 Dark Sun Is An Edgy Addition
Dark Sun is a much grimmer setting that focuses on survival and struggle. The backdrop is an arid desert that feels almost post-apocalyptic. Though critics and fans received it well, Dark Sun has yet to feature in 5th Edition, though it existed in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Editions.
For fans who like a gritty, grim dark campaign setting with a science fiction edge, Dark Sun is perfect. It would also translate well into a film, especially as it brings something new to the overused, Tolkein-inspired fantasy tropes.
2 Greyhawk Hasn't Made It To 5e But Was Iconic
Along with the Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk is one of the most influential settings in D&D's history, and much of the lore is born from this tradition. Although it has yet to see a 5th Edition publication (save the beginner-friendly D&D campaign, Ghosts of Saltmarsh), it is still popular among veteran players. It is also one of the game's original settings, making it among the oldest.
Greyhawk gave fans famous characters like Mordenkainen (of Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes and Monsters of the Multiverse), Tasha (Tasha's Cauldron of Everything), and iconic villains like Vecna.
1 Dragonlance Is A Fantasy Staple
Dragonlance is another fantasy world that reached icon status along with the Forgotten Realms and Greyhawk, but as with Greyhawk, 5th Edition neglected to publish any sourcebooks about it. However, it is the setting of many D&D-related novels.
Since books about Dragonlance exist, it is one of the easiest settings to turn into a film or TV show. Intimate plot elements and character arcs have already found their way into narrative fiction. Unfortunately, it suffers from the same criticism that Greyhawk does: it's a generic fantasy world, and Wizards of the Coast is only currently supporting one of those (the Forgotten Realms). Still, it is among D&D's top game settings and is iconic for a reason.