(Image Source: Wizards of the Coast)
Wizards of the Coast's popular card game IP, "Magic: The Gathering," today unveiled plans for a major screen adaptation. Legendary Pictures and Hasbro Entertainment jointly announced they will co-develop a "Magic: The Gathering" cinematic universe spanning both film and television, with a feature film being the first priority.
This isn't the only "Magic: The Gathering" screen adaptation project launched in recent years. Since 2019, Hasbro has been collaborating with Netflix on an animated "Magic: The Gathering" series, which remains unfinished. It is also uncertain whether this series will be integrated into the newly announced cinematic universe.
(Image Source: Wizards of the Coast)
The journey to adapt "Magic: The Gathering" for the screen dates back to 2014. At that time, 20th Century Fox acquired the film rights, with Simon Kinberg, producer of the "X-Men" film series, attached to produce. However, after Disney acquired 20th Century Fox, this adaptation project, along with many other unproduced Fox-era titles, was canceled.
Shortly after the 20th Century Fox version was scrapped, Netflix announced an animated series project with the Russo Brothers. They even expressed intentions to follow up with a live-action series. However, after several years of development, the Russo Brothers eventually departed the project. Last year, Netflix also announced a creative overhaul, bringing in Terry Matalas, showrunner of "Star Trek: Picard," to re-envision the story.