The Last of Us series co-creator Craig Mazin has partnered with Hasbro Entertainment to create a TV show for HBO based on Baldur’s Gate 3, Larian Studio’s award-winning RPG (as reported Deadline). The show — on which Mazin serves as co-creator, writer, executive producer, and showrunner — is simply titled Baldur’s Gate, and its story will pick up where Baldur’s Gate 3 left off.
The show will feature both new characters and familiar faces, though no details have been released on which characters will appear in the show, nor who will play them. Because a Baldur’s Gate 4 is not currently in development, Mazin will likely have a fair amount of freedom when it comes to the show’s story, but Wizards of the Coast head of story Chris Perkins will serve as a consultant on the set to ensure the series stays true to its DnD roots.
Mazin, who is a fan of the game and put “nearly 1,000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3,” as he said in a statement to Deadline, is nothing short of thrilled to be working on the series.
“It is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created,” he said. “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to [Hasbro head of television and co-executive producer] Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.”
“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig Mazin on Baldur’s Gate,” HBO head of drama programming Francesca Orsi said. “His deep and long-standing passion for the source material paired with his remarkable talent for building immersive worlds filled with rich, compelling characters promises groundbreaking results.”
“The fans have been eagerly awaiting an adaptation of Baldur’s Gate, and we could not ask for better partners than HBO and the incomparable Craig Mazin to build this world with,” Hasbro’s Gabriel Marano said.
Prior to co-creating The Last of Us adaptation, Mazin co-wrote the films Scary Movie 3, Scary Movie 4, and The Hangover Part 3, but is perhaps best known as the creator of the Emmy-winning miniseries Chernobyl. Following Chernobyl, Mazin teamed up with The Last of Us game co-creator Neil Druckmann to adapt Naughty Dog’s popular PlayStation game for TV. While the first season stuck pretty close to its source material, the second season deviated somewhat, which received mixed reception from fans. Druckmann exited the show after the second season, and remarks from HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys suggest the show itself could wrap after the third season.
With Baldur’s Gate, Mazin has a bit more of a creative blank slate, but he’ll have to work within a framework that’s almost certain to spark some controversy: Whatever story the show tells, it will canonize one of Baldur’s Gate 3‘s various endings. Craig, if you’re reading, there’s frankly only one solution here: It’s time to embrace the Dark Urge.
