MTG Netflix series 2022?
Lore forum
Posted on Aug. 27, 2021, 11:48 a.m. by Icbrgr
Netflix announced in 2019 a MTG Animated series was coming to the platform. I am so excited for this to happen and hope its worth the wait. Ive been watching Avatar/Inuyasha as of late so im kinda primed and in the mood for this kind of media personally.
- "the story and the characters are going to be true to the spirit of the story and the characters that are preexisting,” Kelman told TheWrap. "We’re going to be true to that and the world and also true to the core values of those worlds and characters. But we’re definitely going to try to carve out our own continuity space in a very similar way to other franchises that have done that with adventures in a new medium from preexisting stories.”
From a Lore/Cannon perspective I'm honestly not sure where to put myself... Im not sure if I should be expecting a loosely based preexisting story arch like War of the Spark; or if this is gonna be entirely different/new territory.
What does everybody else think and or hope for about this series?
Definity a bummer to hear about the Russo Brothers leaving the project... but I certainly enjoyed Jackie chan adventures as a kid so Im gonna hold onto hope/optimism!
Nice Catch with Gideon's involvement pointing towards a pre-War of the spark storyline!
August 27, 2021 12:12 p.m.
plakjekaas says... #4
I heard during the preview stream that it will be about how Gideon and Jace met.
August 27, 2021 12:18 p.m.
ooooh maybe implying some Zendikar vibes? (pretty sure that's where we first met Gids anyway?) also be a shoe-in for a Nissa introduction perhaps... but I could just have a blind love for that Plane.
August 27, 2021 3:04 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #6
I was excited until they announced that it was PW centric, and that what I see as the two most boring PW are the main characters. Just from my pre-existing prejudices the show is now going to have to be of superb quality for me to not hate it.
If others are still excited about it, good for them. I hope that the show is exactly what they want of it. I just hope that they learned from the Jacetice League storyline and don't give us monster-of-the-week hack writing and Jaceus ex Machina BS.
August 27, 2021 7:39 p.m.
I'm interested as long as they leave Jace at the door. Sick of his bs and his attitude :p
Maybe Lilliana can join him. But only maybe. She could have something interesting to add. But those two have been so over done in mtg that it would take away from it for a repeat of character. I'd like to see some more of the lesser PW's take the spotlight.
August 27, 2021 8:09 p.m.
Is there any word of original characters? Even if it's Jace + Gideon BFFs, I'd like to see someone who hasn't shown up in the game take at least a supporting role.
August 27, 2021 8:47 p.m.
Gidgetimer says... #9
IlLupo643, AFAIK the story is literally Jace and Gideon bromance, the series.
August 27, 2021 10:25 p.m.
TheRealSpecialK says... #10
I am actually really troubled by the replacement of the Russo brothers. More so than anyone, they have demonstrated an ability to ably adapt content that can be enjoyed by a wide array of viewers across the age spectrum while still addressing mature, even dark themes (Thanos laterally carried out genocide, and Winter Soldier gracefully handled real political issues).
Magic needs to be treated the same way. I am worried that the replacement of two of the inarguably greatest (or at the very least most successful) storytellers in favor of someone who has primarily done children's shows signals a creative change that is geared more towards younger demographics. I strongly feel that could potentially ruin the game.
Brand identity can be instrumental in attracting and retaining a consumer base. Few thing are going to establish Magic's brand identity more powerfully than a Netflix series containing its characters. In some ways, this series will be the most powerful Marketing stunt/tool Wizards has ever employed. For many people, it will be their first interaction with this game.
Magic should be treated as an adults game - but that doesn't mean it needs to be made inappropriate for younger generations. It just means that the storytelling and visual adaptations (even animated ones) need to be geared towards an adult audience - not a younger, teen audience. Examples of movies/shows that did this well are Princess Mononoke from Studio Ghibli and more mature parts of Avatar the Last Airbender and the Clone Wars (watch the 4-episode Umbra Arc from the latter and tell me it was written for children). If this series will be made light and whimsical, geared more for a younger audience, it will alienate much of its enfranchised player base, and will potentially ruin some great stories. That isn't to say that it can contain light or whimsical elements - so long as those elements are secondary to a greater, more mature narrative. Let's not forget that it was against the backdrop of a devastating war that Avatar was set, and character development/motivations included parental abuse, genocide, matricide, deep spiritualism, forgiveness, and unconditional love among other things. The show was so amazing because it leaned into these themes while still giving us all the fun, light, whimsical moments we all love so much (
September 2, 2021 12:53 p.m.
TheRealSpecialK says... #11
Oops, didn't quite finish my post:
....light, whimsical moments we all love so much (SECRET TUNNLES!!!)
My greatest frustration of this game is that the quality of the lore is inconsistent at best, and more recently kind of awful. As someone who is strongly motivated by lore, the lack of quality of storytelling has been really frustrating - what is the point of becoming invested in a character/plot device/plane/etc. when the things that interest/compel you are just going to be retconned or destroyed by bad storytelling? This Netflix series, if handled correctly, could be a great way to establish, compelling, nuanced, quality lore that adds to the multiverse that we all love while still serving as a great entry point for new players.
The best example Wizards has done recently that is in-line of what I am hoping for is Brandon Sanderson's Children of the Nameless. It is geared towards adults (but younger audiences can read and enjoy it), is high quality writing, and adds rich new lore and characters to the multiverse enfranchised players can enjoy while not being overwhelming for new players unfamiliar with the past story of Magic. I am hoping the Netflix series follows suite.
Caerwyn says... #2
There was actually some news released about this just earlier this week. The original showrunners, the Russo Brothers (yes, those Russo Brothers, directors of Infinity War and Endgame) left the show and were replaced by Jeff Klien (Jackie Chan Adventures, Dragon Tales, and other animated shows).
The only casting information we have right now is that Brandon Routh (Superman in Superman Returns; also he has apparently been playing Magic since his teens) will be voicing Gideon. That gives us a fairly strong indication that the show will take place sometime before WAR, though the exact setting is still unclear.
August 27, 2021 12:04 p.m.