In the sci-fi literary world, no singular series has gotten as much buzz of late as Matt Dinniman‘s wild post-apocalyptic LitRPG smash Dungeon Crawler Carl. Consisting of eight books and counting since 2020, its fanbase has rapidly grown from small and passionate to global, particularly over the past year and a half, reaching over 14 million copies sold already between all installments. All the excitement for this unconventional televised game show armageddon quickly spurred the development of a television series, with Peacock swiftly ordering it and Seth MacFarlane producing through his Fuzzy Door banner. This whirlwind of exciting developments has made Dinniman‘s San Diego Comic-Con spotlight panel one to look forward to at the annual convention.
The bestselling author sat down with Christopher Yost, who is penning the series adaptation, for the panel to talk about his journey as a writer and how he wound up writing the wildly successful story of a former Coast Guard vet turned boxer-wearing dungeon-crawling badass with a spoiled talking cat as his partner. During their conversation, however, they inevitably turned to the upcoming Peacock show and the cast. To this point, no names had been officially attached to bring the series to life in live-action, even as fans began throwing out some potential ideas for stars, from Kit Connor for Carl to Kelly Bishop for Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. However, there is now officially one person on board, and it’s an addition that will make fans of the DCC audiobooks very happy.
Jeff Hays, the beloved narrator known for his ability to give every character in Dungeon Crawler World their own unique voice, made a surprise appearance at the panel with the announcement that he has signed on for the Dungeon Crawler Carl series. This time, he won’t just be narrating events, either, as he’s been tapped to voice none other than Carl’s cat companion, Prince Donut. Casting Hays was a no-brainer given how much of a fan-favorite he’s become and the fact that the audio versions have clocked in 140 million listening hours and are often recommended as the perfect way to experience the series. His remarkable range was honed over a staggering career in which he’s produced and narrated over 400 audiobooks and founded the Soundbooth Theatre, where he serves as CEO.
What Is ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ About?
In Dungeon Crawler Carl, the vast majority of humanity is wiped out in an invasion by the alien Borant Corporation, which seeks to strip Earth of its precious resources. Carl is one of the few fortunate, or perhaps unfortunate, enough to be left alive to take part in a sadistic intergalactic game show for the entertainment of untold viewers around the universe. Worse, he’s stuck with Princess Donut, the stuck-up, tiara-wearing award-winning show cat that once belonged to his ex-girlfriend and now has a lot of things to say. Against all odds, they’re forced to improvise and survive in the labyrinthine World Dungeon, fighting monsters, aliens, insane A.I., and even other survivors who threaten their crawl. It promises a mix of action, comedy, and zany sci-fi goodness in a LitRPG-based package. MacFarlane is joined as an executive producer by his Fuzzy Door partners Erica Huggins and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald.
There is no release date for Dungeon Crawler Carl yet.
via Collider