Grab your deck: Magic the Gathering is heading to Netflix.
As Variety reports, Marvel Cinematic Universe masterminds Joe and Anthony Russo will serve as executive producers of a brand new animated series for Netflix based on the legendary tabletop trading card game.
“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 will help usher in a new storyline based on the Planeswalkers, which are Magic’s magic-wielding heroes and villains. Despite being around since 1993, the card game has never received an adaptation for the screen.
Henry Gilroy and Jose Molina will serve as writers and co-executive producers, with Yoriaki Mochizuki as supervising director and co-executive producer, and Bardel Entertainment handling any and all animation.
“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.”
In the past, Magic has been adapted into a New York Times bestselling novel, a critically acclaimed comic book series, and has even spawned a professional esports league. To date, the franchise has amassed nearly 40 million fans and is published in 11 different languages over 70 countries.
One of those fans is American singer-songwriter John Darnielle, who expressed his love for the game in a recent episode of This Must Be the Gig, which you can revisit below.
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