Russo Brothers Team With Netflix For A ‘Magic: The Gathering’ Animated Series
If you were wondering what the ‘Avengers: Endgame’ directors would do next, it seems they have been kicking back and playing card games… Only to think “you know, this would make a great tv series!”
Today, Netflix announced they are joining forces with Joe and Anthony Russo, Wizards of The Coast, and Hasbro’s Allspark Animation to bring the worldwide phenomenon of ‘Magic: The Gathering’ to the screen for the first time in the iconic franchise’s 25-year history with an animated series ‘Magic: The Gathering‘.
“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,” commented the Russos.
Created in 1993, the Magic franchise has connected with over 38 million fans over the last 25 years and has been published in eleven languages and played in over 70 countries. The Russos will oversee the creation of an all-new storyline and expand on the stories of the Planeswalkers, which are Magic’s unique magic-wielding heroes and villains as they contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold.
Animation studio Octopie will oversee the production of the series, with Todd Makurath, Eric Calderon, and Dave Newberg serving as producers, and Mike Larocca and Isaac Krauss serving as executive producers. Henry Gilroy (‘Star Wars Rebels’, ‘Star Wars: The Clone Wars’) and Jose Molina (‘The Tick’, ‘Agent Carter’) will serve as lead writers and co-executive producers on the series, and Yoriaki Mochizuki will serve as supervising director and co-executive producer.
“Working with Joe and Anthony, Wizards of the Coast, and Netflix on such a universally cherished brand is a real highlight for our studio.” adds Isaac Krauss, CEO of Octopie. “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.”
This isn’t the first time Magic: The Gathering has expanded out into other media from its original card game form. For more than 25 years fans have been experiencing the characters, fantastic worlds, and deep strategic gameplay through the tabletop trading card game, the new digital game Magic: The Gathering Arena, a New York Times bestselling novel, critically acclaimed comic book series, and professional esports league.
“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, as well as the incredible success of our new digital game, Magic: The Gathering Arena.” said Chris Cocks, President of Wizards of the Coast. “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.”
There is no release date yet for ‘Magic: The Gathering‘ the animated series, but as it is animation, it’s going to at least be 2020 we would think before we see anything. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
