Netflix’s Long-Delayed Magic: The Gathering Series Set for 2027
Netflix has titled its animated Magic: The Gathering series Planeswalker and set a 2027 debut, seven years after the project was first announced.
Netflix has given its long-delayed animated adaptation of Magic: The Gathering a title and a debut window. The series, called Planeswalker, is set to premiere on the streaming service in 2027. The reveal came at MagicCon: Atlanta, a fan convention for the trading card game, seven years after the project was first announced. Since then it has lost its original creative team and been restarted from scratch.
Wizards of the Coast, the Hasbro subsidiary that publishes the game, and Netflix released a roughly two-minute behind-the-scenes video alongside the announcement. Fans have been skeptical for years that the show would ever appear, and the video seems aimed squarely at them. “It’s really happening. I promise,” Roy Graham, head of story for Magic at Wizards of the Coast, says at the start of the clip, according to Inquisitr, which cited coverage by The Verge.
What was announced
The announcement confirms the title and the year, and that the show will stream only on Netflix. Several outlets noted that no exact premiere date, episode count or full voice cast has been given yet. MTG Insider, a site covering the game, reported that the preview is labeled “Early Development” and includes character designs, concept art, animation tests and studio footage. That means the finished series may look different.
According to the synopsis Wizards of the Coast and Netflix released, the show is an epic fantasy saga about powerful mages known as Planeswalkers, who can travel between the game’s many worlds, or “planes.” The central character is Chandra Nalaar, described as a volatile pyromancer who is hunted for her gifts and haunted by her past. She joins other legendary Planeswalkers to confront an insidious force and head off a cataclysmic war. MTG Insider said the preview also appears to show a new take on Ajani Goldmane, a lionlike warrior from the game’s lore.
Pop culture site But Why Tho? reported that promotional material labels the show “Season 1.” The outlet read that as a sign Netflix is planning for more than one season, though neither company has announced a renewal.
Who is making it
The series is produced by Netflix with Hasbro Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast. The key creative roles, as reported across the coverage, are:
- Terry Matalas, showrunner and executive producer, known for Star Trek: Picard and 12 Monkeys. He was named to the role in September 2024.
- Cindy Appel, co-showrunner and executive producer.
- Patrick Osborne, an Oscar-winning filmmaker, as supervising director and executive producer.
- DIGIC Pictures, a Budapest-based animation studio, which Netflix brought on in June 2025 at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in France.
Inquisitr reported that Matalas described his approach as “worlds-building.” Each plane in the story is treated as its own pocket universe, with a distinct look, animation style and filmmaking style. Appel said the game’s thousands of cards, built up over more than 30 years, make it a natural fit for animation, the outlet reported. In comments cited by But Why Tho? from Netflix’s Tudum blog, Matalas said the team can bring the characters to life “in ways that the audience hasn’t seen before.”
A troubled road to the screen
The show’s history explains why Graham felt he had to reassure fans. In June 2019, Netflix announced a Magic: The Gathering series with Joe and Anthony Russo attached. The brothers directed Marvel’s Avengers: Endgame. Hasbro later said the show would arrive in late 2022, but that version fell apart and the Russos were no longer involved.
In 2024, Netflix said it still planned to adapt the game but would start over, and it brought in Matalas that September. Inquisitr noted that actor Brandon Routh had recorded dialogue as the Planeswalker Gideon Jura for the abandoned version. It is not clear whether any of that work will be used, or who will voice the characters in the new series.
Why it matters
Magic: The Gathering has been around for more than 30 years and is one of the best-known collectible card games. Aaron Forsythe, senior vice president of game design at Wizards of the Coast, said Magic is finally having its moment, according to Inquisitr. A finished Planeswalker would give Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast a new way to reach audiences beyond the card table. It would also test whether the game’s sprawling, decades-old lore can work for viewers who have never played.
For now, the companies have not said when in 2027 the show will arrive. More details on the cast and premiere date are expected closer to launch.
