Magic The Gathering Show Netflix

This week, Netflix has been hosting its annual Geeked Week event - a whole week of reveals for its geekiest shows (Oh, at present I get the name!). Its announcements so far have included everything from a new Cyberpunk 2077 anime to Resident Evil'due south trailer.

With Netflix going all-in on everything geeky, there has been one, frustrating absence in its line-up: the Magic: The Gathering show it's meant to be releasing this year. Not merely is it worrying to accept radio silence on something launching in the next half-dozen months, it shows just how trivial cultural cache Magic possesses, despite its heed-bravado success.

When information technology was start announced, the Magic show was being produced past the Russo Brothers. It was huge – fresh off Avengers Infinity State of war and Endgame - the latter briefly reigning as the most successful movie at the box office of all time -producing a prove about a game with almost 3 decades of history? There was no way information technology could fail.

Then we heard nothing most it until last yr's Magic Showcase. The Russo Brothers had long since departed the show to make another Netflix projection, The Gray Man, and nosotros were at present introduced to a slightly less exciting name: Jeff Kline. Kline isn't bad by any stretch, having produced things like the Jackie Chan Adventures and the recent Transformers shows, simply it is a huge leap downward from the grandeur of having the Russo Brothers on it as one of their offset post-Endgame forays.

At least we received our offset details most the evidence itself, though. While earlier teasers hinted information technology'd focused on the pyromancer Chandra Nalar, it was revealed that we'd instead be focusing on Gideon Dura, played by Superman himself, Brandon Routh. Look, it still counts, okay? Information technology was an interesting choice, considering Gideon is dead in the current Magic catechism, but he's a charismatic lead with a more fleshed-out graphic symbol arc than many of the lore'south Planeswalkers, and the casting couldn't take been more than perfect. While it still stung to have the Russos ditch it, I was charily optimistic.

Most a yr afterward, and we've heard absolutely nada since. We haven't seen so much as a single frame of the show, despite its projected 2022 release date. Considering MTG is one of Hasbro'due south two biggest brands, alongside Monopoly of all things, you would've hoped there would be a fleck more fanfare surrounding information technology during the week the show's platform devotes to all things geeky.

What stings more is that we've seen Magic at Geeked Week before, just it was used to plug Netflix'due south own shows instead of standing on its merits. During 2021'southward Geeked Week, it was revealed that Stranger Things would exist crossing over into Magic with its since-released Underground Lair promotion. Netflix's biggest show breaking into Magic - god do I honey 1-sided promotional deals inching their mode into my favourite game with trivial to no benefit to the wider Magic brand.

I've complained about this before: Magic is used equally a marketing platform for anything else to come up in and peddle its wares, without Magic fans getting to see the characters and worlds we love get the same respect elsewhere. It feels worse when the company that hit information technology and quit it with Magic terminal yr is the same one that should be gearing upwardly for promoting its show now. Information technology'southward a stark reminder that these Universes Beyond promotions aren't nearly as two-sided equally they should exist; Magic promotes a Netflix show, and Netflix responds by not even acknowledging Magic'southward ain due to release this year.

The problem isn't that this show won't ever happen (those fears are saved for the live-action movie with Angelina Jolie, also allegedly in development); it'due south that nobody but Wizards of the Coast seems to care nearly information technology. Netflix releasing some concept art of Gideon in his habitation plane of Theros would've been squeamish, or a look at the animation style, or anything to assuage the fears that information technology could exist another rushed Netflix animated project instead of the Cabalistic successor we're all hoping it will be. Just a morsel that suggests that Netflix gives even a fraction of a shit about it would accept gone a long way, instead of presumably leaving all the promotional work for Wizards at its Wizards Presents conference in Baronial.

Considering how wildly successful Netflix'southward Arcane has been (some other thing that promoted itself in Magic), information technology's sitting on a potential hit with Magic. Another hugely-popular game belongings with a almost-infinite scope and memorable characters to play with? It's a no-brainer. Or, it would be, if Netflix had any brains or interest in raising exterior interest in Magic: The Gathering itself instead of finding more means to stuff Dustin'southward annoying fucking face up into it to promote series 86 of Stranger Things or any it is we're on at present.

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