The Russo brothers, known for their work directing Avengers: Endgame, are bringing an animated series of the popular trading card game Magic: The Gathering to Netflix.
“The Russos will oversee the creation of an all-new storyline and expand on the stories of the Planeswalkers, which are Magic’s unique magic-wielding heroes and villains as they contend with stakes larger than any one world can hold,” Netflix wrote in a press release.
Serving as the series’ showrunners will be Jose Molina (Agent Carter) and Henry Gilroy. Gilroy is known for his work on Star Wars: Clone Wars, another animated adaptation of a hot science-fiction, fantasy franchise. Netflix released a still featuring the MtG character Chandra.
The Russo brothers will serve as the executive producers of the animated series. Notably, Bardel Animation is in charge of the show’s look. Bardel is known for its work on Netflix’s The Dragon Prince, Teen Titans Go, Rick & Morty, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
“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,” Joe and Anthony Russo wrote in the press release.
The card game Magic: The Gathering, currently owned by Wizards of the Coast, was launched in 1993, and within the last decade has ballooned in popularity. Between 2008 and 2016, more than a whopping 20 billion cards were printed.
Though MtG’s storylines are as weird and amorphous as any major comic book line, they typically involve “planeswalkers,” which are basically wizards who rely on one of five colors of magic. The planeswalkers hop from dimension to dimension battling and saving various civilizations from ruin or dooming them to it.
The planeswalker Chandra, seen in the still, is typically associated with red, fire magic. Other popular planeswalkers include Jace, a blue-colored master of mind magic, the black undead magic-wielding Liliana, and the multi-colored elder dragon Nicol Bolas.
The Russo brothers’ adaptation will follow its own independent storyline.
The series doesn’t have a release date, yet.
You can check out our guide for players looking to try out Magic: The Gathering, or try out MtG Arena, the franchise’s online version of the game.
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H/T IGN