Magic: The Gathering - The Movie in The Works at Fox

[Steven Bogos]

Magic: The Gathering - The Movie in The Works at Fox

I'm predicting Fox's Magic: The Gathering movie will essentially be a live-action version of Yu-gi-oh!

We've seen movies based on children's toys [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108255/]. So what's the next logical step? According to Fox, it's a movie based on the Magic: The Gathering card game.

The Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fox-bring-magic-gathering-big-670529] writes that Fox has just closed a deal to acquire the screen rights to the collectible card game from Hasbro. Reportedly, it will develop the franchise to the same level of mass-merchandise-mania that Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings saw before it.

Simon Kinberg, Producer on X-Men First Class, will be in charge of Magic: The Gathering's film adaptation. He will also be in charge of any subsequent movie installations, and will liaise with both Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast.

Magic: The Gathering was created in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast. It's popularity soared, and it was eventually acquired by Hasbro in 1999.

Magic arguably started the whole card-game craze, which lead to card-game adaptations of popular franchises (such as the Pokemon Trading Card Game), as well as entire franchises built around a card game (such as Yu-gi-oh!).

I'm not sure what to make of this. What would a Magic movie even be about? Would it eschew the actual cards and simply be about the "world" of of the game, or would it be about a young rookie Magic player fighting his way to the top?

Source: The Hollywood Reporter [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/fox-bring-magic-gathering-big-670529]

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[Diablo1099_v1legacy]

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[HEADING=1]WHY?![/HEADING]

Jesus!? Out of all the IPs to make a movie out of, THIS is what the Execs thought was a good idea?!
Christ, I almost wish they were making another Fantastic Four...

 

[Dragon Zero]

Uncertain how to feel about this. On the one hand, Magic does have some really cool ideas (Ravnica could be a cool setting for a TV show IMO) and such going on but on the other hand adaptations of similar things don't have a great track record. I don't know, I'll decide when more details come.

 

[deth2munkies]

It'd better be about Urza and Yawgmoth, that's the last time the lore was actually interesting.

If they try to cram the newbie planeswalkers in, I'm not gonna bother.

 

[BanicRhys]

Oh good, who wants to bet it'll be one, huge Chandra wank fest?

Let's hope they avoid including any references to the actual MTG mechanics and just make it a story set in the MTG universe.

 

[VoidWanderer]

............
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[HEADING=1]WHY?![/HEADING]

Jesus!? Out of all the IPs to make a movie out of, THIS is what the Execs thought was a good idea?!
Christ, I almost wish they were making another Fantastic Four...

It is Fox, these guys are the EA of the TV industry... Just wait for the casting call, and have the youtube vid of Darth Vader ready

 

[synobal]

It makes sense now that they have character, specifically the planeswalkers. Though I expect the movie will focus on Chandra but who knows maybe they will introduce a new planeswalker just for the movie.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

Funny opening short: Guy walks into bank, cashes paycheck, leaves with cash. Walks into gaming store. Buys 6 booster boxes and sits down at a table and opens each pack. Rages when he doesn't get the card he wanted. Fast forward with caption reading "Next Payday", cut to same guy walking into game store with bigger stack of cash in hand, grim and determined. Fade out.
To Be Continued...

Fade.

Forever. [1 frame blip]

 

[balladbird]

Oh good, who wants to bet it'll be one, huge Chandra wank fest?

Let's hope they avoid including any references to the actual MTG mechanics and just make it a story set in the MTG universe.

Chandra? based on what I've read online, I'd have figured Jace was the trademark favorite creation over at Wizards. Ah well, I'm mostly in it for Ral Zarek, so I know I won't be made happy.


I get the feeling this'll turn out like the dungeons and dragons movie: only tangentially related to its source, and terrible. I'd say the fact that it IS a lore based around a cardgame makes it pretty loose and open to interpretation, which gives me hope, but these projects have a high failure rate.

 

[RJ 17]

I'm not sure what to make of this. What would a Magic movie even be about?

Believe it or not, there actually is a story line behind MTG, as some other Escapists have already mentioned. It revolves around the Planeswalkers and their adventures while walking the planes. There's actually numerous story arcs that could be explored through a movie, and I believe some story arcs have already been explored through novels. Most of the sets that are released these days have some sort of story attached to them.

Personally, though, I think this has "in-game tie-in" written all over it. The way they like releasing videogames based on newly released movies, I'd imagine they'll likely come up with some new story for the MTG universe and have the card game release a new set based on the events of the movie.

 

[dharmaBum0]

Chandra? based on what I've read online, I'd have figured Jace was the trademark favorite creation over at Wizards. Ah well, I'm mostly in it for Ral Zarek, so I know I won't be made happy.

With the new expansion, it looks like Elspeth is the new planeswalker du jour. She's at least the face of Theros for now. Jace (to the best of my knowledge, which isn't great) has been left behind to do...whatever Jace does.

Doesn't mean anything for a movie, which probably will be only loosely tied to the canon and I'd imagine a new character would be introduced for a movie.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I read a couple books based on Magic: the Gathering worlds, it seems like a universe that could easily be applied to film.

It'd be awesome to have the character Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar [small](A character in one of the short stories in a Magic :the Gathering book... pretty sure I got the spelling right.)[/small] in it just because I want to see the attempt to merchandise that name.
[small]
EDIT:
Hey, I was right!

http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Asmoranomardicadaistinaculdacar[/small]

 

[BanicRhys]

Chandra? based on what I've read online, I'd have figured Jace was the trademark favorite creation over at Wizards. Ah well, I'm mostly in it for Ral Zarek, so I know I won't be made happy.

I don't know, I haven't played the actual game in years due to the fact that I have absolutely no friends under no circumstances whatsoever no matter what.

All I know is that I have to deal with her smug ole' face whenever I play DotP 2014.

 

[CelestDaer]

Christ, I almost wish they were making another Fantastic Four...

Funny you should mention that. [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1502712/?ref_=fn_al_tt_4]

 

[Atary77]

Since no one else said it, does this also mean Fox is going to put out a sequel every year?

 

[AldUK]

To anyone asking 'why?' I don't think you're aware of just how big a following Magic: The Gathering has. Sometimes I think The Escapist exists in a bubble with only a select section of games or nerd culture being covered. Magic has big money tournaments all over the world, almost 3 decades of backstory, revisions and growth and is enjoyed by millions all over the world.

So really the question should be; why not?

 

[Remus]

If the films were about Urza, Mishra, Yawgmoth, possibly Gerrard and the Rath cycle on the side, I'd be totally cool with it. Of course this was the story from 8-10 years ago. Dunno if the current players would be interested in the original planeswalker's story. The trick would be picking an actor that can pull off multiple layers of age makeup since Urza's physical age was based entirely on his mood at the time.

 

[kael013]

Just one film? This'll probably be about one of the post-Mending planeswalkers then; Jace, Chandra, or Ves are the biggest players, so it'll most likely be one or two of them with possible cameos by a few of the rest. I would have preferred Urza but the Brother's War wouldn't make a good [i/]Magic[/i] film. The conflict with Yawgmoth and Phyrexia (the best Magic villains so far imo) would be my preferred topic, but that'd [i/]have[/i] to be a duology at least - and even then they'd be condensing things.

And now I've realized just how much of a lore nerd I am.

 

[rofltehcat]

If the films were about Urza, Mishra, Yawgmoth, possibly Gerrard and the Rath cycle on the side, I'd be totally cool with it. Of course this was the story from 8-10 years ago. Dunno if the current players would be interested in the original planeswalker's story. The trick would be picking an actor that can pull off multiple layers of age makeup since Urza's physical age was based entirely on his mood at the time.

They have (kind of) revived Phyrexia, no reason why they can't revive Gerrard and the Weatherlight crew.
Though this movie really has a lot of potential to fail. Video game movies are bad most of the time and this has about the same chances imo.

 

[Shalok]

God damn it i had to be FOX that did it? Really, there is enough cool stuff in the magic lore to make a decent movie out but I trust FOX to do a good job about as far as i can throw them and Hasbro let Battleship be made so I have no confidence in them keeping them straight...