MAGIC: THE GATHERING Sets Up Film And TV Universe At Legendary And Hasbro
Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment are partnering up to create a live-action feature film and television universe based on Hasbro’s popular trading card brand, Magic: The Gathering. Initial plans call for a feature film to lead the charge, with television series and other content to be developed as well as the universe expands, according to announcements made on Wednesday.
Created in 1993, Magic: The Gathering is the world’s first trading card game. Its compelling characters, fantastic worlds, and deeply strategic yet highly customizable gameplay have captivated more than 50 million fans of all ages worldwide, becoming a billion dollar success story for Hasbro.
“We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than MAGIC: THE GATHERING,” said Mary Parent, Legendary’s Chairman of Worldwide Production. “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, Hasbro’s Head of Film, added, “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 universe.”
Legendary is credited with its succesful multimedia turnout for screen treatments of IP with robust fandoms. Credits include the two recent multi-Academy Award-winning Dune films from director Denis Villeneuve and based on the Hugo-winning novel by Frank Herbert, the studio’s Monsterverse films culminating IPs like Godzilla and King Kong, and Pokémon: Detective Pikachu among others. Pending 2025 releases and development include Jared Hess’s A Minecraft Movie in April, Peter Atencio’s Animal Friends in October, and a brewing adaptation of Street Fighter to name a few.
Hasbro Entertainment is currently its second year with several deals in place. An animated series for “Magic: The Gathering” remains in the works by Terry Matalas at Netflix, while the label is also cooking up to re-imagine Clue with Sony’s TriStar Pictures and Sony Pictures Television, as well as Monopoly with Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap and Lionsgate, and a deal with The CW to produce game shows based on “Trivial Pursuit” and “Scrabble,” which premiered this past Fall.
