Talk about a triple threat. Netflix has just announced that they are developing a new animated series with Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo based on the classic card game, Magic: The Gathering. Working with Hasbro’s Allspark Animation, it will be the first animated series in the franchise’s 25-year history.
This is sort of a big deal. The Wizards of the Coast tabletop card-trading game was created in 1993 and since that time, its fan base has grown to over 38 million with games being published in 11 languages and played in over 70 countries.
“Magic is a beloved global franchise with a massively engaged fan base that has only continued to grow over the last 25 years,” said John Derderian, head of anime programming for Netflix. “There’s no one better suited to bring this story to audiences around the world than Joe and Anthony Russo, whose talent for genre storytelling is unmatched, as demonstrated by their central role in creating some of the biggest box office hits of all time.”
The sentiment is apparently mutual.
“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,” said Joe and Anthony Russo.
The Directors behind #AvengersEndame are bringing 'Magic: The Gathering' to Netflixhttps://t.co/qViWpwuTiV pic.twitter.com/fmlOoXH2iP
— Comedy 103.1 (@Comedy1031) June 4, 2019
The Russos will lead the series with the creation of a new storyline focusing on the Planewalkers, magic-wielding heroes and villains. The new series will also include creative talent who worked on projects such as Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Batman: The Animated Series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Firefly, Agent Carter, Ultimate Spider-Man, and The Lego Movies. This includes Henry Gilroy and Joes Molina who will serve as lead writers and co-executive produce the new series.
Octopie, an animation network, will oversee production of the series as well.
“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,” said Isaac Krauss, CEO of Octopie.
https://twitter.com/JoseMolinaTV/status/1135597518094397440
Magic: The Gathering is the latest animated project to come to Netflix and joins a growing list of other animated content including Devilman Crybaby, Aggretsuko, Ultraman, BoJack Horseman, Big Mouth, and Disenchantment.
Soon, Netflix will be welcoming other new animated projects including Klaus from director Sergio Pablos, The Willoughbys from director Kris Pearn, and Over The Moon from director Glen Keane who has worked on numerous Disney motion pictures including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, Tarzan and Tangled.
The press release did not state when the new Magic: The Gathering would air on the streaming service.