So card game fans are getting some potentially amazing news today with the announcement of another Netflix fantasy series. The Russo brothers, the director duo behind Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, has partnered with the ever-expanding Netflix to be Executive Producers on multiple projects. One of these, of which there are apparently five in total, is based on Magic: The Gathering.
The Russo’s have made clear their love of the legendary card game, and now they get to put that love of the property to good use. Netflix announced Monday that the Russos would team with Wizards of The Coast and Hasbro for an animated series based on MTG. This is something fans have been waiting for ever since the game became exceedingly popular in the late 90s and early 2000s.
“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 said in a joint statement.
The incredibly complex storylines that have evolved surrounding the planes, Planeswalkers, and intense political factions within the MTG universe are a great breeding ground for good storytelling. Add in the wealth of talent on the project, and there’s tons of potential. Bardel Entertainment (Rick and Morty, Teen Titans Go!, and Netflix’s The Dragon Prince) is heading up animation work, with Octopie Network (Neo Fighter Dream Crisis) helping to direct production in other areas. The writing will be handled Henry Gilroy, who worked on various Star Wars projects, and Jose Molina who wrote The Tick also helping write the show.
The tone and image of the show are unknown, as so far only a single teaser has been released. Said teaser shows off a mix of 3D animation and stylish art that will likely serve as a core concept for the series. Octopie CEO Isaac Krauss, who is also an executive producer, offered a bit of insight on the course the writing will take though.
“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.”
Other projects in the works for Netflix and the Russo brother include The Warriors, Quantum and Woody, and Relic. The Magic: The Gathering project is still in the early stages and as such, doesn’t have a release date yet.
