EXCLUSIVE: Following Neon’s acquisition of his SXSW title Nirvanna the Band the Present the Film, Matt Johnson is in pole place to direct the primary movie out of the live-action Magic: The Gathering universe being assembled by Legendary and Hasbro, sources inform Deadline.
The studios declined to remark. We hear they’ve not but made a proper supply to Johnson, because it’s very early days right here, however he’s the selection to direct. No phrase but on the tackle the fabric, nor who shall be scripting. Legendary and Hasbro introduced their intention to launch a Magic movie and TV universe, kicking off with a function challenge, in February.
Marking Hasbro’s first $1 billion model, Magic: The Gathering is acknowledged because the world’s first buying and selling card sport, having related with greater than 50 million followers of all ages worldwide since 1993. Within the sport, gamers tackle the function of planeswalkers, highly effective spellcasters who summon creatures, forged spells, and use artifacts to defeat their opponents. Through the years, it’s expanded into a world phenomenon, with aggressive tournaments, skilled play circuits, and a thriving secondary marketplace for uncommon and highly effective playing cards. Its ongoing storyline, set in a multiverse of fantasy worlds, has been expanded by means of card units, novels, and even crossover collaborations with franchises like Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings.
Ought to the Magic: The Gathering deal make, Johnson would grow to be the most recent scorching indie filmmaker to make the leap into the world of huge studio IP-driven fare. The filmmaker broke out along with his 2023 docudrama BlackBerry, charting the rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone, which premiered to essential raves on the Berlinale and was named by the Nationwide Board of Evaluation as one of many Prime Ten Impartial Movies of 2023. Most lately, he’s co-written, directed, and starred in Nirvanna the Band the Present the Film, a comedy increasing upon a earlier Canadian comedy collection, which can quickly be hitting theaters. Beforehand helming the Sundance-premiering NASA conspiracy thriller Operation Avalanche, the filmmaker has additionally been linked of late to A24’s Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony, starring Dominic Sessa, although the standing of his deal there’s unclear.
Johnson is represented by CAA and Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.
