Craig Mazin, the showrunner behind HBO's The Last of Us, is developing a television series based on Larian Studios' Baldur's Gate 3 for the network. The project will continue the story from the 2023 game, exploring its aftermath in the Dungeons & Dragons universe. Unlike a direct adaptation, the series is planned as an ongoing narrative with new and returning characters.
The announcement comes from Deadline, highlighting Mazin's extensive involvement: he will create, write, executive produce, and showrun the series. Joining him as executive producers are Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, and Gabriel Marano from Hasbro Entertainment. Chris Perkins will consult, drawing on the franchise's roots in the Dungeons & Dragons world, while Larian Studios, the game's developer, will not participate.
Set immediately after the events of Baldur's Gate 3, the series will delve into the ramifications of the game's storyline. It promises an ongoing format, allowing for varied tales within the expansive Forgotten Realms setting. Mazin intends to incorporate elements from Dungeons & Dragons lore under an agreement with Wizards of the Coast, focusing primarily on the third game rather than its predecessors.
Mazin, a longtime Dungeon Master with 15 years of weekly play, has invested nearly 1,000 hours in Baldur's Gate 3, completing it on 'challenging honor' mode. He plans to approach the game's voice actors about potential roles, blending familiar faces with new ones. The project will coexist alongside Hasbro Entertainment's live-action Dungeons & Dragons series at Netflix, produced by Shawn Levy.
Baldur's Gate 3, released in 2023, achieved massive success with over 15 million players and 34 industry awards. It made history as the first game to win all five major Game of the Year honors at the 2023 Game Awards, following HBO's acclaimed adaptation of The Last of Us.