Netflix’s animated adaptation of Magic: The Gathering has a new creative team.
Deadline states that Joe and Anthony Russo were first involved when the project was announced in 2019, with head writers Henry Gilroy and Jose Molina. However, the Russo’s and their creative team have moved on, and executive producer Jeff Kline (Transformers: Prime), is now in charge. Kline is in charge of creating a new storyline based on the famed tabletop trading card game.
The Russo’s didn’t leave Kline hanging and were involved in transitioning one creative team to the next. “I’m grateful to the Russos for bringing me into the world of Magic: The Gathering – specifically, over dinner at one of their go-to Cleveland restaurants,” Kline said. “Magic is one of those rare intellectual properties with such a wellspring of mythology that “picking and choosing” is half the battle. Every single person working on the series understands how beloved this universe is – and feels both the exhilaration and tremendous pressure that comes with translating Magic across mediums.”
Kline’s team includes co-executive Producer and story editor Steve Melching (Star Wars: The Clone Wars), supervising director Audu Paden, Art director Izzy Medrano and writers Nicole Dubuc, Russell Sommer & Dan Frey, and Taneka Stotts. The animation will be done by Snowball Studios, taking over the originally announced Bardel Studio.
Toymaker Wizards of the Coast and Entertainment One (an indie studio owned by Hasbro) issued a joint statement about the new creative team.
“While the Russo Brothers are no longer part of the animated series, their passion for the game combined with their early creative perspective and input helped us to shape the project to a place where we believe fans of the game and those new to the ‘Gathering Universe’ will enjoy the series and discover what millions of fans around the globe have known for the past 25 years.”