Netflix is teaming up with Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast for an upcoming anime adaptation of popular card series, Magic: The Gathering. Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo –the duo responsible for Avengers: Endgame– are executive producing the series.
Being well known fans and players of the card series, the Russo brothers will oversee the creation of an “all-new storyline and expand on the stories of M:TG‘s famed Planeswalkers — the franchise’s magic-wielding heroes and villains — as they contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold.”
Henry Gilroy (Star Wars Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jose Molina (The Tick, Agent Carter) will serve as the series’ lead writers, as well as co-executive producers. Animation duties will be taken on by Bardel Entertainment, which is well known for its work on Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go.
The streaming giant, in partnership with Hasbro, aims to expand the series into a larger franchise featuring multiple installments after picking up the rights from the now defunct Fox Entertainment label, who planned to adapt M:TG back in 2014. As of now, Netflix hasn’t declared how many episodes or official installments will be put into production for the series.
Since its launch in 1993, the franchise has amassed around 38 million fans and has published several cards in 11 languages, with players in more than 70 countries.
“More fans are enjoying Magic now than at any time in its 25-year history, thanks to the enduring popularity of the tabletop game and our latest release War of the Spark, as well as the incredible success of our new digital game, Magic: The Gathering Arena,” commented Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast president Chris Cocks. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Joe and Anthony Russo to bring Magic: The Gathering’s rich and diverse cast of characters and worlds to Netflix in a way that will delight our many fans and those new to the franchise.”
Shortly after ending its Marvel deal with Disney, Netflix has continued to preserver in its attempt to build new franchises and subsequent expanded universes with Magic: The Gatehering being the ultimate score. Adding to the network’s already long ongoing list of anime’s such as: Devilman: Crybaby, Aggretsuko and Ultraman, BoJack Horseman, Big Mouth and Disenchantment.
“Magic is a beloved global franchise with a massively engaged fan base that has only continued to grow over the last 25 years,” expressed John Derderian, head of anime programming at 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.”