The highly anticipated Netflix series Magic: The Gathering seems to have become one of the victims of the streaming service’s cost-cutting measures. Brandon Routh – who was set to voice Gideon Jura in the series – revealed that fate of the series during an interview with Collider at the Toronto International Film Festival, although he seemed surprised that anyone still thought it was possibly still moving forward.
The actor was questioned about the status of the project, which was based on a digital collectible card game of the same name, to which he responded, “It’s not happening.” Considering the last time it made headlines was some years ago, it should come as no surprise, which Routh suggested himself. He said:
“I’m not sure. I did do a voice for it. As far as I understand, nobody’s put out a press release about it, but apparently it’s not happening. That’s kind of old news. I’m not sure why it’s surfacing again.”
Since its announcement in 2019, the series has been shrouded in mystery, often postponing the updates that were expected to provide a clear picture of the project’s situation. The last we heard about it was in 2023, when Hasbro’s CEO Chris Cocks affirmed that it was still in production. Nonetheless, the most recent update on the adaptation seems to shed an entirely new light, which many may have previously predicted.
What Exactly Happened to the “Magic: The Gathering” Series?
Netflix has an infamous reputation for canceling shows in their early stages, so it’s no surprise that Magic: The Gathering received similar treatment. However, there might have been a good reason behind the project’s unfortunate end, particularly given the crew that was on board to create it.
Initially, the project was set to be executive produced by the Russo Brothers (Avengers: Endgame), with Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro’s Allspark Animation, Octopie, and Bardel producing and animating the series. It was eventually joined by Henry Gilroy (Star Wars: The Clone Wars) and Jose Molina (The Vampire Diaries) as head writers, with Yoriaki Mochizuki (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) serving as supervising director.
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Two years later, in August 2021, Deadline reported that the Russo Brothers had left the project due to creative differences and Jeff Kline (Transformers: Prime) would take over as the series’ new executive producer. Following a few additional disagreements among the initially selected crew, Kline ended up having to form his own team, with nearly all previously hired positions filled by others.
Despite the addition of talented directors, writers, and supervisors such as Steve Melching, Nicole Dubuc, Russell Sommer, Dan Frey, and Taneka Stotts, the project grew too risky financially, and Netflix ultimately chose to cancel it. Although the streaming giant has not issued an official announcement, this is typically the case for adaptations that have flown under the radar.
In fact, a feature film based on the Magic: The Gathering game was in development at 20th Century Fox until 2019, with Bryan Cogman (Game of Thrones) set to pen the script. However, once Disney acquired the studio, the project was scrapped. If the series has been canceled, as Routh claims, we may hear a statement in the future either from Hasbro’s CEO on another earnings call or from Netflix itself.