The upcoming Magic: The Gathering movie may have found its director and could be on its way to starting Hasbro’s Magic: The Gathering cinematic universe. After partnering with Legendary Entertainment early on, it appears the studio is eying Matt Johnson to take the lead for the first film in a live-action Magic: The Gathering series. While no official announcement has been made, Deadline reports Hasbro and Legendary Entertainment have chosen Johnson but have yet to make an offer. With Magic: The Gathering being the beginning of the planned universe, this position is obviously under a lot of pressure and has the potential to set up one of the most popular TCG adaptations for success.
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Matt Johnson, a Canadian writer, producer, and director, is best known for his role with Nirvana the Band the Show, The Dirties, and Blackberry. Johnson has made his name as an indie filmmaker, but he wouldn’t be the first to cross over and work with major studios. His work has received critical acclaim, so he is a solid contender for this position. His work with Nirvana the Band the Show in various mediums would be a perfect fit for the multiverse aspect of Magic: The Gathering.
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Magic: The Gathering is a huge IP and is featured as a TCG, novels, video games, and more. It is set within multiple fantasy worlds and has even collaborated with others such as Dungeons & Dragons, The Lord of the Rings, and Final Fantasy, among others. This series of multiple worlds fits perfectly with the core ideals of Magic: The Gathering in which Planeswalkers, powerful wizards, and sorcerers, can travel to different worlds.
Planeswalkers represent the players in the TCG version of Magic: The Gathering, but outside of this, they can cast powerful spells, summon creatures, and wield artifacts from various worlds. The term has seen some reworking in the past and has been altered in newer additions, but the primary idea still stands. There are multiple Planeswalkers in the Magic: The Gathering universe, with differing power levels. This gives the Magic: The Gathering movie plenty of choices when adapting a storyline.
Fans of the project are both hopeful and worried. Some expect a Marvel-like version of the Magic: The Gathering cinematic universe, which may undermine the story and lore of the game. Others are pitching possible ideas, such as following the popular Planeswalker Jace, the story of the Phyrexians and Urza, Liliana’s story, or even going to the legendary and iconic Ravnica.
Sadly, there is no further indication of what the Magic: The Gathering film will choose. Matt Johnson is possibly being selected as the director, but no mention of a screenwriter has been shared. Regardless of what story the movie follows, fans can also look forward to further live-action and animated television series in the works, which will be connected to the Magic: The Gathering movie.
