Magic: The Gathering animated series gets revived at Netflix with a replacement showrunner

Once upon a time, there was to be an animated series on Netflix that would have been based on the popular role-playing card game Magic: The Gathering. The Russo brothers, who now have their hands full with the next two installments in the Avengers franchise, were once attached to the animated property, but that project would never materialize due to creative differences. After the Russos departed, Jeff Klein, known for the series Transformers: Prime, would take over as executive producer with Brandon Routh providing his voice.

That version would also not materialize, and The Hollywood Reporter is now revealing that Netflix has pushed forward with a newer attempt. This new incarnation would now be headed up by Terry Matalas, whose credits include Star Trek: Picard and the upcoming Vision Disney MCU series. Matalas will be the showrunner for the new Magic: The Gathering animated series and production on the show is set to start soon. The new version will also be produced by Hasbro Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast, who had also been in development of the previous non-start shows. Other details on the show has yet to be announced at this time.

The show was first announced in June 2019, with the Russos already attached. The duo was slated to executive produce the series in addition to overseeing the development of an all-new storyline. Joining them at the time were Henry Gilroy and Jose Molina, who had been tasked with building a story around the Planeswalkers, the game’s magic-wielding heroes and villains. Word around the old watercooler suggests that the Russos and their creative team left the series due to creative differences. However, before they took their leave of the project, the Russos did give Kline their blessing to take creative control.

Created by Richard Garfield, Magic: The Gathering came onto the tabletop gaming scene in 1993. The game itself outfits players with powerful trading cards that contain magical spells, characters, traps, and more. The game had achieved an incredible height of popularity and has since been converted into a digital version of itself, an esports league, a comic book series, and a best-selling novel.