The highly anticipated live-action film adaptation of Magic: The Gathering has successfully secured talented writers for the screenplay. According to reports from Deadline, the dynamic duo of Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald has finalized a deal to pen the script for this project, which is being developed by both Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment. Their collaboration promises to bring this beloved card game universe to life on the big screen.
Gardner and Fitzgerald are no strangers to working with Hasbro, having previously contributed their writing skills to the Power Rangers movie, which was originally set to be directed by Jonathan Entwistle. In addition to this, they collaborated on the screenplay for The Trench, an Aquaman spinoff that was intended to focus on the enigmatic character of Black Manta. Their most recent endeavor involved crafting a television series for Amazon based on the cult classic sci-fi film Trancers, which Leigh Whannell is set to direct.
Earlier this year, Matt Johnson, known for his work on BlackBerry, was considered as a potential director for the Magic: The Gathering film. However, it remains unclear whether this potential collaboration has progressed into a confirmed deal. Fans of the franchise are eager to see who will ultimately helm this exciting project.
In addition to the live-action film, there are plans for a Magic: The Gathering television series and various other content to expand this fascinating universe. In a statement, Mary Parent, the Chairman of Worldwide Production at Legendary, emphasized their commitment to being responsible stewards of cherished intellectual property. She remarked, “We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than Magic: The Gathering. 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.”
Zev Foreman, who serves as the Head of Film at Hasbro Entertainment, expressed excitement about this collaboration, saying, “This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world’s most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward. 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.”
Originally created by Richard Garfield and launched in 1993, Magic: The Gathering immerses players in the role of powerful dueling wizards known as Planeswalkers. Each participant wields their own unique deck of cards, representing a myriad of magical spells that can be strategically utilized in combat to outmaneuver their opponents.
This live-action movie is just one of several ongoing projects related to Magic: The Gathering. In addition to the film, Hasbro has been actively developing an animated series in collaboration with Netflix. This initiative was initially announced back in 2019, with Joe and Anthony Russo originally set to serve as showrunners. However, they ultimately departed the project due to creative disagreements. Jeff Klein, known for his work on Transformers: Prime, then took over the series, but the production faced challenges and fell apart. Fortunately, Netflix announced last year that the project is being revived, now with Terry Matalas from Star Trek: Picard at the helm. Additionally, this isn’t the first attempt to create a Magic: The Gathering movie; back in 2014, Fox enlisted Simon Kinberg as a producer for a feature film adaptation.
