Magic: The Gathering Animated Series From Russo Brothers Set at Netflix
A Magic: The Gathering animated series is coming to Netflix, Variety has learned.
Joe and Anthony Russo, Wizards of The Coast, and Hasbro’s Allspark Animation have teamed with Netflix to bring the fantasy game to the screen for the first time in the franchise’s history. The Russos will oversee the creation of an all new storyline and expand on the stories of the Planeswalkers, which are Magic’s magic-wielding heroes and villains.
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“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.
The Russos — known for their work on the Marvel Cinematic Universe entries “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Captain America: Civil War,” “Avengers: Infinity Wars,” and “Avengers: Endgame”– will executive produce the series. Henry Gilroy and Jose Molina will serve as writers and co-executive producers. Yoriaki Mochizuki will serve as supervising director and co-executive producer. Octopie will oversee production, with Todd Makurath, Eric Calderon, and Dave Newberg serving as producers, and Mike Larocca and Isaac Krauss serving as executive producers. Bardel Entertainment will handle animation on the series.
The Magic: The Gathering tabletop card game was created by Richard Garfield and first released in 1993. Since then, the game has spawned a digital game, esports league, comic book series, and a best-selling novel. It has been published in 11 languages 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 is demonstrated by their central role in creating some of the biggest box office hits of all time.”
Netflix’s current animated slate includes anime series such as “Devilman Crybaby,” “Aggretsuko,” and “Ultraman” as well as acclaimed adult animated series “BoJack Horseman,” ‘Big Mouth,” and “Disenchantment.”
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