(Image credit: Netflix)
Netflix has revealed that Planeswalker, an animated series inspired by Magic: The Gathering, will premiere in 2027. The initial teaser offers limited insight, but hints that the series borrows several elements from the streamer’s immensely popular League of Legends show, Arcane.
The series “details the intense conflict among powerful sorcerers referred to as Planeswalkers. At the heart of this battle for dominance and survival is Chandra, an unpredictable pyromancer pursued for her talents and tormented by her history,” as per the official summary.
“Facing a deceitful menace, Chandra and some of the most iconic Planeswalkers must wield their remarkable powers, navigate perilous alliances, and confront their own internal struggles to avert a catastrophic war that endangers their very existence. As the divide between triumph and destruction narrows, a single ember dictates the destiny of countless realms.”
PLANESWALKER | Sneak Peek | Netflix – YouTube
The video above is packed with concept and previsualization snippets, but includes a few seconds of what seems to be near-final animation and, indeed, it is challenging to overlook a distinct Arcane influence in both character design and animation technique. The series is being developed by the animation studio Digic Pictures, known for producing cutscenes for games like Assassin’s Creed Shadows and Call of Duty: Vanguard, in addition to directing several episodes of Amazon’s Secret Level series.
Terry Matalas, who acted as showrunner for VisionQuest and seasons 2 and 3 of Star Trek: Picard, will take the lead as showrunner for Planeswalker. Cindy Appel, who contributed scripts for both those series, is serving as co-showrunner. Patrick Osborne is the supervising director and executive producer.
Netflix has been working to initiate a Magic: The Gathering series since at least 2019, when the streamer disclosed that the Russo brothers were associated with the project. The vision they had for the series seemingly did not materialize, as it was five years before any updates were made – this time, under Matalas’s direction.
