Netflix has been developing animated series based on video games for a while now, but it has now turned its attention to the world of collectible card cards, as the streaming service has announced on Twitter that it's developing an animated series based on Magic: The Gathering with the Russo brothers.
It might seem like a strange idea to adapt a card game into an animated series, but Magic: The Gathering has a deep lore that is told through the medium of the card game and the tie-in novels. There are numerous stories in the Magic: The Gathering setting that could be adapted for an animated series, but the image shown in the announcement tweet has a picture of Chandra, which suggests that the series will be about the formation of the Gatewatch.
The tweet mentions that Anthony and Joseph Russo are going to be making the show. The Russo brothers are best-known for their work on the MCU, where they directed films such as Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Captain America: Civil War, Avengers: Infinity War, and Avengers: Endgame, the latter two of which are in the top five highest-grossing movies of all time. The Russo brothers also have experience working on TV shows, such as Arrested Development and Community.
Magic: The Gathering has recently received its own free-to-play online title, called Magic: The Gathering Arena which has allowed the game to reach a much wider audience in the past. It's possible that the Netflix show can help Magic: The Gathering to become a full-fledged mainstream entertainment franchise, in the same way that Game of Thrones helped the A Song of Ice and Fire novels enter the public consciousness.
Netflix has already released a successful animated adaptation of Castlevania and there are anime based on Devil May Cry and Dragon's Dogma in the works. There is also a live-action series based on The Witcher that is currently in development by Netflix, so it seems that the Magic: The Gathering license is in good hands.
The Magic: The Gathering anime series is currently in development by Netflix.