It looks like the long-gestating live-action Magic: The Gathering project is finally starting to take shape. According to Deadline, screenwriters Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald have closed a deal to write the feature film adaptation for Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment.
While representatives for both companies declined to comment, the attachment of Gardner and Fitzgerald marks a big development in Legendary and Hasbro’s plan to kick off a Magic: The Gathering cinematic universe.
The film was first announced in February as the starting point for a broader film and TV franchise built around the massively popular card game.
As of April, BlackBerry filmmaker Matt Johnson was reportedly the top choice to direct the project, though it’s unclear if a deal has officially gone through. Regardless, this latest update signals forward momentum on a project that fans have been waiting years to see materialize.
First released in 1993, Magic: The Gathering has evolved into a full-blown cultural phenomenon. “Marking Hasbro’s first $1 billion brand, Magic: The Gathering is recognized as the world’s first trading card game, having connected with more than 50 million fans worldwide since 1993.”
Players assume the role of powerful planeswalkers who wield spells, summon creatures, and battle across fantasy worlds in an ever-expanding multiverse.
That multiverse has grown far beyond the tabletop, with Magic embracing serialized storytelling through card sets, novels, and crossovers with iconic franchises like Dungeons & Dragons and The Lord of the Rings.
The built-in lore makes the IP a prime candidate for an epic fantasy franchise, and one that could stand apart from the usual genre fare if handled right.
Gardner and Fitzgerald previously teamed up with Hasbro on a now-shelved Power Rangers movie that had Jonathan Entwistle attached to direct. They also worked on The Trench, an abandoned Aquaman spinoff developed for Warner Bros. and DC with James Wan and Peter Safran, and were behind The Patient, a psychological thriller produced with Maximum Effort, Vertigo Entertainment, and 20th Century Studios.
The gears are finally turning on this project and longtime Magic fans will be watching closely to see if this adaptation can cast the right spell.
Source: Deadline
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