Avengers’ Russo Brothers to Spearhead Upcoming “Magic: The Gathering” Netflix Animated Series

After the highly successful Avengers series, Joe and Anthony Russo are set to oversee another epic work: a Netflix animated series on the wildly popular collectible card game, Magic: The Gathering. This will be the first animated series for the Magic franchise.

Along with this announcement is the release of a teaser image which features the flaming Planeswalker Chandra Nalaar.

The project is a collaboration between Hasbro’s Allspark Animation (mostly known for the Transformers movies) and the Russo brothers. Entertainment website Variety reported that the Russos, Allspark Animation and Netflix will be working closely with Wizards of the Coast, the publisher of the Magic: The Gathering card game.

The report further states that, "The Russos will oversee the creation of an all-new storyline and expand on the stories of the Planeswalkers, which are Magic’s magic-wielding heroes and villains.” Joe and Anthony Russo have expressed excitement over their newest project, saying, “We have been huge fans and players of Magic: The Gathering for as long as it has been around, so being able to help bring these stories to life through animation is a true passion project for us.”

The confirmed main staff for the upcoming animated series are the following:

• Executive producer: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Isaac Krauss
• Co-executive producer: Henry Gilroy, Jose Molina, Yoriaki Mochizuki
• Producer: Todd Makurath, Eric Calderon, Dave Newberg
• Lead writer: Henry Gilroy, Jose Molina
• Supervising director: Yoriaki Mochizuki
• Production: Octopie
• Animation production: Bardel Entertainment

Magic: The Gathering was created by mathematician, inventor and game designer Richard Garfield and was released in 1993 by American game publisher Wizards of the Coast. Magic is credited for being the first modern trading card game, paving the way for other TCGs and defining the genre as it is currently known today. Since its release, over 20 billion Magic cards have been produced that are being played by over 20 million players worldwide.

Source: Variety