Wizards of the Coast
Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo are working on a new project: they are adapting the popular 26-year-old collectible card game Magic: The Gathering for Netflix.
On Monday, Netflix has announced that the Russos are teaming up with Wizards of the Coast and Hasbro for an animated series based on the mythology of the fantasy-themed card game. The Russo brothers will "oversee the creation of an all-new storyline and expand on the stories of the Planeswalkers" and will see the heroes and villains of Magic's multiverse "contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold."
The announcement also released a promotional artwork featuring one of the Gatewatch's Planeswalkers, Chandra (shown above).
Here's what the Russos said in a joint statement: "We have been huge fans and players of Magic: The Gathering for as long as it has been around, so being able to help bring these stories to life through animation is a true passion project for us."
The Russos will serve as executive producers of the series, with writers Henry Gilroy (Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Star Wars Rebels) and Jose Molina (Jordan Peele's Weird City, The Tick) as showrunners. Yoriaki Mochizuki (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) will serve as co-executive producer and supervising director.
Canadian animation studio Bardel Entertainment (Rick and Morty, Netflix's The Dragon Prince, Teen Titans Go!) is set to make the show's animation. Octopie Network is set to oversee the production of the animated series, with Todd Makurath (How to Be a Serial Killer), Eric Calderon (Afro Samurai), and Dave Newberg (Brad Neely's Harg Nallin' Sclopio Peepio) serving as producers; Mike Larocca (Deadly Class) and Octopie CEO Isaac Krauss will serve as executive producers.
Krauss teased what to expect from the animated series in the press release:
"Working with Joe and Anthony, Wizards of the Coast, and Netflix on such a universally cherished brand is a real highlight for our studio. Our goal is to not only tell a compelling story leveraging Magic: The Gathering's incredible body of work, but to also push the medium and perception of storytelling through animation. This series will cross the genres of suspenseful thriller, horror, and drama with deeply developed characters the likes of which are not often seen in animation."
Chris Cocks, president of Wizards of the Coast, also shared his thoughts in the press release:
"More fans are enjoying Magic now than at any time in its 25-year history thanks to the enduring popularity of the tabletop game and our latest release War of the Spark. We're thrilled to collaborate with Joe and Anthony Russo to bring Magic: The Gathering's rich and diverse cast of characters and worlds to Netflix in a way that will delight our many fans and those new to the franchise."
In 2014, Fox hired Game of Thrones writer Bryan Cogman to pen the script for the film adaptation of Magic: The Gathering but there's still no recent word about the project's development but I'm glad that this upcoming Netflix animated series is moving forward in the hands of creative minds.
Related:MTG Website MTGSalvation is Closing This July
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Magic: the Gathering