Netflix Cancels Magic: The Gathering
Netflix is no longer releasing the animated series based on the massively popular Magic: The Gathering card game. It’s a bit surprising that the streaming platform is giving the series the ax, considering the popularity of the game and its success adapting popular properties like League of Legends with Arcane, but it seems like the show just isn’t in the cards for now. The news was revealed to Collider during an interview with Brandon Routh, who was set to star in the series as the Planeswalker Gideon Jura.
Brandon Routh’s Involvement
Routh was doing an interview for his new movie Ick at the Toronto Film Festival when the subject of the Netflix Magic: The Gathering animated series came up. Routh explained, “I did do a voice for it,” adding, “As far as I understand, nobody’s put out a press release about it, but apparently it’s not happening.” So, while the cancellation isn’t necessarily official, it does seem like the project is in some kind of development limbo, and the streaming platform is apparently not too urgent on taking it any further.
Other Shelved Netflix Projects
The Netflix Magic: The Gathering animated series was first announced in 2019 and was set to have a 2022 release date, so perhaps something pandemic-related stalled the production and release, but in any case, it seems like Magic fans will have to put their hopes on hold.
It’s a shame too, because apparently Magic: The Gathering was already fully written and recorded, though the animation process would undoubtedly be the costliest part of the production and what Netflix seemingly wants to avoid.
Netflix canceled plenty of other animation projects around the same time that the Magic: The Gathering series was quietly dropped, including a Gorillaz film directed by band artist Jamie Hewlett and adaptations of popular IPs like Bone, Wings of Fire, and Antiracist Baby.
Changing Of Personnel Behind The Scenes
The creative team working on Netflix’s Magic: The Gathering animated series was also pretty promising, though there were plenty of bumps in the road that could have led to the initial cancellation.
For instance, Joe and Anthony Russo, known for their massive contributions to the MCU, were originally on board as producers, with Star Wars: The Clone Wars’ Henry Gilroy and Firefly’s Jose Molina on board as head writers.
However, this entire team dropped out over creative differences, and Jeff Kline was brought in to take over, bringing on a brand new crew of producers, directors, and writers.
Not The First Time An Adaptation Was Cancelled
Regardless of who was working on it, it seems like Netflix just didn’t want to push the Magic: The Gathering series through. It’s not the first time Magic fans have been disappointed, as a 20th Century Fox film written by Bryan Cogman was in the works in the late 2010s, only to be canceled when Disney took over in 2019. Maybe Magic fans will get their big adaptation eventually, but it seems like it won’t be happening in the near future.
For Now, We Wait
For the uninitiated, Magic: The Gathering is a tabletop and digital collectible card game that is massively popular, bringing in over $1 billion in revenue each year. It is one of the brands of Wizards of the Coast, a publishing company who also handles brands like Dungeons & Dragons and the Pokemon Trading Card Game. Both Dungeons & Dragons and Pokemon have had successful adaptations, so hopefully, Magic: The Gathering will get eventually get its due despite its Netflix cancellation.
Source: Collider
