According to Deadline an adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s best-selling science fiction novel, Dungeon Crawler Carl, is set to be developed as a television series from Universal International Studios and Fuzzy Door. The project is being developed under Seth MacFarlane’s (Family Guy, Ted) production company, Fuzzy Door, and Universal International Studios with Chris Yost (The Mandalorian, Thor: Ragnarok) attached.
The novel, set in a post-apocalyptic world, follows the destruction of all man-made buildings, which have been transformed into an 18-level labyrinth of a dungeon – spanning across the entire globe. Each level of the labyrinth is a televised game show where the player must defeat their prey and survive, but not only that, they also have to accumulate views. The narrative follows Coast Guard veteran Carl alongside his ex-girlfriend’s cat as a venture through the labyrinth levels.
According to Deadline, there was a highly competitive battle to obtain the rights for the novel, with Universal Studios Group’s creative acquisitions and IP marketing team securing the project for Universal International Studios. This battleground comes from the popularity of the novel, which has sold over 1 million copies. Since the initial self-publishing of his e-book, Dinniman has written five sequels. He has been revered for his worldbuilding and original story by Kelsey Balance, SVP of global scripted series within Universal International Studios. Since the acquisition, Balance stated via Deadline, “I think it’s found a great home at Fuzzy Door and Universal International Studios.” She also voices excitement about collaborating with Yost on the project. Her previous credits include Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the famed anime Cowboy Bebop and Seth Rogen’s Tales of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
As Fuzzy Door president Erica Huggins stated to Deadline, “Matt captures genre bending at its best with his laugh-out-loud and emotionally gut-wrenching characters…That, coupled with the semi-grounded but unique sci-fi world Dungeon Crawler Carl takes place in, makes for an ideal Fuzzy Door project.” This adaptation will join Ted, The Shrouded College and The Winds of War as Fuzzy Door’s newest projects under Universal.
