Hasbro’s upcoming Magic: The Gathering movie reportedly now has two writers on board, Noah Gardner and Aidan Fitzgerald, with work on the script soon to be underway. The news was first reported by Deadline, which also previously reported BlackBerry director Matt Johnson was being lined up to direct.
At this stage, Gardner and Fitzgerald’s involvement is yet to be confirmed in an official capacity, but with their history, they would certainly make sense in the role. As outlined by Deadline, the writing duo previously collaborated with Hasbro on a Power Rangers film that didn’t eventuate. They also worked on DC TV spin-off The Trench, which was eventually cancelled as Warner Bros. revamped its comic-inspired universe.
The pair also previously worked on psychological thriller The Patient, and the TV adaptation of sci-fi film Trancers, which was sold to Amazon.
With many of the pair’s projects taking place in the realms of fantasy and sci-fi, Magic: The Gathering would seem right up their alley. This trading card game series charts a range of speculative genres, from supernatural fiction to high fantasy, horror, sci-fi, and beyond.
Any adaptation would require delicate hands, not only to satisfying a ravenous fanbase, but to do justice to the subtle intricacy of the game’s story.
Read: Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy set pairs beauty with power
At this stage, we don’t know much about what Hasbro has planned for this game’s first major film adaptation. Speaking as fans, we’d love to see individual character stories adapted, like that of Liliana, or even the Gisa and Geralf. Of course, an entirely new story could be on the cards, with this opening the possibilities for storytelling.
Magic: The Gathering isn’t too different from traditional high fantasy adventures by nature, with unique factions and lore still adhering to the general rules of fantasy fiction. Any adaptation would have to grapple with the vast scope of this game, to narrow down a coherent, compelling story that new players and passionate audiences would appreciate.
Going the route of the Dungeons & Dragons film would certainly be an option, with comedy and fantasy pairing in a way that still pays homage to the original game. With the word-of-mouth success for that particular film in mind, there’s no doubt Hasbro has big things brewing for Magic: The Gathering.
For now, we’ll have to wait to see what’s next for this project.
