Attention fellow nerds, our time has come as the multiverse is expanding once again — this time with Magic: The Gathering. Hasbro Entertainment and Legendary Entertainment are teaming up to bring the iconic trading card game to both film and television, officially launching a shared Magic: The Gathering universe, and the first item on the agenda is a big-screen adaptation of the fantasy franchise. Magic: The Gathering has become a pop culture staple since it was first launched in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, and it was a pioneer of the trading card game format. It has since inspired a global community of 50 million players, so you can see why Legendary would want to tap into that market.
Hasbro officially acquired the rights to the game back in 1999, and now they’re teaming with Legendary to try and expand it from the table to the screen. Legendary has a pretty good track record when it comes to bringing niche interests to mass audiences, as evidenced by their success with blockbuster franchises like Dune and the Monsterverse, bringing Godzilla and Kong into the mainstream. They’re also behind Netflix’s Enola Holmes movies and are currently working on the live-action Minecraft movie starring Jason Momoa and Jack Black.
This isn’t Hasbro’s first attempt at adapting Magic: The Gathering. A Netflix TV series from Star Trek: Picard showrunner Terry Matalas is already in development, which could potentially connect to Legendary’s new film project. A decade ago, 20th Century Fox also tried to develop a film universe with producer Simon Kinberg, but that version never got off the ground, and if Dark Phoenix is anything to go by, that’s probably a good thing.
What Did the Execs In Charge Have to Say About ‘Magic: The Gathering’?
Hasbro and Legendary released statements alongside the news which should appease fans of the series concerned that the quality would be diluted when it comes to making it more digestible entertainment. “We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than Magic: The Gathering,” said Mary Parent, Legendary’s chairman of worldwide production. “Alongside the fantastic Hasbro team, we look forward to creating a multimedia universe that thrills longstanding fans and creates a broad wave of new ones.”
“This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world’s most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward,” said Zev Foreman, Hasbro Entertainment’s head of film. “Magic: The Gathering has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary’s diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new Magic: The Gathering universe.”
Plot details are under wraps right now, but Planeswalkers and the like should stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
via Collider