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Magic: The Gathering Film Is Reportedly Eyeing Matt Johnson To Direct

Matt Johnson is reportedly the frontrunner to direct the recently announced live-action Magic: The Gathering film from Legendary.

At the beginning of February, it was announced that Magic: The Gathering was not only heading to the big screen but the small screen as well. Legendary and Hasbro announced the deal, saying that a live-action film would be the first thing they would tackle, with a television show and "other content" to follow. None of this is really that surprising, considering how massive the game has gotten in the last couple of years. There is already an animated show in the works at Netflix, but this live-action aspect is an angle everyone should have seen coming.

Another thing we should have seen coming was Legendary plucking a director who just got a movie picked up from a film festival and who doesn't have a ton of credits to his name to lead the charge. We've seen comic book movies make this same move over and over again, and it stands to reason that this aspect of the industry would repeat the same move (or mistakes, depending on who you ask). Matt Johnson just had his feature Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie picked up by NEON at South by Southwest, and now he is the frontrunner for the Magic: The Gathering film, according to Deadline's sources. This is another incident where there isn't a formal offer on the table yet, but Johnson is who they want for the job. Reports also seem to indicate that they don't have a scriptwriter on board yet, either.

In a statement accompanying the Magic development announcement when it was officially announced in early February, Legendary's Chairman of Worldwide Production, Mary Parent, said: "We pride ourselves on being thoughtful caretakers of singular, beloved IP, and no property better fits that description than MAGIC: THE GATHERING. Alongside the fantastic Hasbro team, we look forward to creating a multimedia universe that thrills longstanding fans and creates a broad wave of new ones."

Said Zev Foreman, Hasbro Entertainment's Head of Film, "This is an exciting and complementary partnership, uniting one of the world's most iconic brands with a powerful and proven steward. MAGIC: THE GATHERING has inspired decades of epic world-building and creative storytelling. It is a perfect match for Legendary's diversified approach to marquee IP, and we are excited to work together to build a whole new MAGIC: THE GATHERING universe."

At the moment, we don't have any further details about the Magic: The Gathering film, and Legendary doesn't have any comment on Johnson potentially joining the production.

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