Wizards should partner with Netflix to make a big budget Netflix series...

There is so much to pull from MTGs Lore and MTG is more popular than ever.

Done right, this could surpass both Game of Thrones and the MCU.

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu all want a game of thrones like mega hit and are willing to spend billions on one. Amazon is spending 3 billion on a LoTR adaptation as an example and Netflix wants something to compete with this.

If Wizards works with them, Netflix would happily invest a billion to make an epic series pulling from the very best storylines and lore in MTG and it both be a mega hit and would really do a lot to pull more players into the game as well.

Season 1 could be the two brothers war, season 2 the phyrexian invasion, season 3 the Eldrazi etc (bird box was basically about Enrakul visiting another plane already, since birdbox was made by Netflix, it could easily be Marketed as a prelude to the Eldrazi invasion, a way to show what it feels like to have the Eldrazi invade a plane on the ground level.)

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Originally Posted by Captain Hammer

There is so much to pull from MTGs Lore and MTG is more popular than ever.

Done right, this could surpass both Game of Thrones and the MCU.

Netflix, Amazon, Hulu all want a game of thrones like mega hit and are willing to spend billions on one. Amazon is spending 3 billion on a LoTR adaptation as an example and Netflix wants something to compete with this.

If Wizards works with them, Netflix would happily invest a billion to make an epic series pulling from the very best storylines and lore in MTG and it both be a mega hit and would really do a lot to pull more players into the game as well.

Season 1 could be the two brothers war, season 2 the phyrexian invasion, season 3 the Eldrazi etc (bird box was basically about Enrakul visiting another plane already, since birdbox was made by Netflix, it could easily be Marketed as a prelude to the Eldrazi invasion, a way to show what it feels like to have the Eldrazi invade a plane on the ground level.)

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Except they wouldn't do the old, good stuff - we would get more of the Jacetice League due to marketing appeal. The new lore sucks for the most part. Besides, I don't want older, well-crafted settings ruined by more of WotC's forced political garbage.

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Originally Posted by Barook

Except they wouldn't do the old, good stuff - we would get more of the Jacetice League due to marketing appeal. The new lore sucks for the most part. Besides, I don't want older, well-crafted settings ruined by more of WotC's forced political garbage.

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They wouldn’t be that stupid imo. Given the budget this would require, Netflix would put top notch writers and directors on it (the way Disney handles the MCU).

I think Wizards knows that the old stuff is the stuff MTG players care about, it’s far more epic and iconic. Although Emrakul will be amazing but they have to build up to it so season 3 at the earliest. If it’s a hit they can slowly build to the new stuff with Nicol Bolas and the planeswalkers.

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Originally Posted by Captain Hammer

They wouldn’t be that stupid imo. Given the budget this would require, Netflix would put top notch writers and directors on it (the way Disney handles the MCU).

I think Wizards knows that the old stuff is the stuff MTG players care about, it’s far more epic and iconic. Although Emrakul will be amazing but they have to build up to it so season 3 at the earliest. If it’s a hit they can slowly build to the new stuff with Nicol Bolas and the planeswalkers.

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New players don't care about urza and Mishra though. And anyone who doesn't play magic that would watch the show would wonder why the two main characters aren't in any recent cards

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Originally Posted by Megadeus

And anyone who doesn't play magic that would watch the show would wonder why the two main characters aren't in any recent cards

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Well, they did the Silver Showcase with old ass product that isn't printed anymore - with Hearthstone streamers.

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Originally Posted by Captain Hammer

I think Wizards knows that the old stuff is the stuff MTG players care about, it’s far more epic and iconic.

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If they had actually known, we would
a) have gotten way more Dominaria way earlier and
b) they wouldn't have put out so much garbage like the Jacetice League or ruining beloved planes in their respective Return sets.

First season might focus on the conflict between the two brothers; second season could focus on the Phyrexian invasion; third season could focus on the Eldrazi; etc (bird box was basically about Enrakul visiting another plane already, since birdbox was made by Netflix, it could easily be Marketed as a prelude to the Eldrazi invasion, a way to show what it feels like to have the Eldrazi invade a plane on the ground level.)

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Originally Posted by Captain Hammer

Given the budget this would require, Netflix would put top notch writers and directors on it (the way Disney handles the MCU).

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As someone who has been following Hollywood for years now, I'm afraid this is an extremely naive statement.
Disney/Marvel have been putting terrible writers on the MCU for a few years now, same with Star Wars.
And Netflix don't have a particularly good track record either. Remember what they did to the Witcher franchise?
Amazon have been flunking hard on Rings of Power and Wheel of Time, so I wouldn't trust them with MtG either.
Who's left? I'd be tempted to say HBO, but they actually released Velma, which is the worst show of all time, according to the ratings.

I think Wizards need to wait out the sh!tstorm going on in Hollywood right now, and only allow an adaptation when all the crap writers are gone and actually talented people are back at work.

If you wait for good writers you get Andor: A great story set in the star wars universe that will piss off the purists.
If you find the biggest fane you'll get The Rise of Skywalker: You get to watch someone else play with their toys for three hours.
If you try and find middle ground you'll get the MCU: All boxes checked, all corners rounded smooth, and if you're lucky a victory lap every ten years.

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Originally Posted by FourDogsinaHorseSuit

If you wait for good writers you get Andor: A great story set in the star wars universe that will piss off the purists.
If you find the biggest fane you'll get The Rise of Skywalker: You get to watch someone else play with their toys for three hours.
If you try and find middle ground you'll get the MCU: All boxes checked, all corners rounded smooth, and if you're lucky a victory lap every ten years.

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Actually, no to all these:

1) Andor is a show in a franchise that was already ongoing, and already went belly up. This return to good form was too little too late.
2) Rise of Skywalker was the result of Disney not having a plan and constantly panicking after people complained about their entries. Force Awakens too safe and a rehash of A New Hope? Let's give the second one to an indy filmmaker who likes theme, and let's give him no time at all and no oversight. He makes a movie that pisses off half the fanbase, so we panick again and give the third one back to the hacks who made the first one, who then complete the failure with what's probably the worst sequel of all time.
3) The MCU isn't middle ground. It's sometimes good, sometimes mediocre and sometimes bad, and the reasons why are many. And no one ever goes for middle ground. You go for good, or you go for a quick cash grab, which might result in something okay, and it might result in something terrible, but it'll never become good.

But anyway, I'll stop dumping on Disney now. Except for they need to pay their writers! No wonder only hacks work for them now. They scared away all the good ones.
Okay now I'll definitely stop.

An MtG show can work, but it needs:
1) Lots of time to write something good and develop a throughline
2) Many moneys
3) Talented people in charge

I can see this work, but not if they go for something NOW.
My plan:
1) Hire the people behind Arcane.
2) Give them two years to write an outline for 10 seasons of TV, and revise that outline until it's solid.
3) Give them two more years to write the scripts for the first three seasons, revise and redraft until they're great.
4) THEN allow them to go into production.
5) Season 1 release date maybe 2028, probably 2029.

Go for this plan, and there's a good chance you'll get something great. Go for a rush job with whatever hacks are available, and you'll get She Hulk.

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Originally Posted by Asthereal

Actually, no to all these:

1) Andor is a show in a franchise that was already ongoing, and already went belly up. This return to good form was too little too late.
2) Rise of Skywalker was the result of Disney not having a plan and constantly panicking after people complained about their entries. Force Awakens too safe and a rehash of A New Hope? Let's give the second one to an indy filmmaker who likes theme, and let's give him no time at all and no oversight. He makes a movie that pisses off half the fanbase, so we panick again and give the third one back to the hacks who made the first one, who then complete the failure with what's probably the worst sequel of all time.
3) The MCU isn't middle ground. It's sometimes good, sometimes mediocre and sometimes bad, and the reasons why are many. And no one ever goes for middle ground. You go for good, or you go for a quick cash grab, which might result in something okay, and it might result in something terrible, but it'll never become good.

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I think you need another pass at this one, esp the "mediocre that will never be good isn't the middle ground between good and bad" point.

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Originally Posted by FourDogsinaHorseSuit

I think you need another pass at this one, esp the "mediocre that will never be good isn't the middle ground between good and bad" point.

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I'll give my arguments another pass if you tell me which parts you disagree with and why.

Yeah just to point out the obvious, Magic has shockingly, unbelievably bad flavor, which is why no attempt at any sustained narrative franchise has gotten off the ground. And it’s not incidental, it’s not just a case of the work not being put in and someone else could expand it and make something cool eg Arcane, the very setting itself works against telling good or interesting stories. Specifically the conceit of planeswalking, and especially the color wheel itself.

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Originally Posted by Asthereal

I'll give my arguments another pass if you tell me which parts you disagree with and why.

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We all make bad posts, but you don't need to aggressively double down on one that disagrees with itself.

Also Star Wars and the MCU are enormously profitable franchises, it has to be pointed out. Like you can say that they're overall mediocre and I'm not necessarily going to disagree, but the bottom line is what companies actually care about and they both make shit tons of money.

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Originally Posted by TheInfamousBearAssassin

Also Star Wars and the MCU are enormously profitable franchises, it has to be pointed out. Like you can say that they're overall mediocre and I'm not necessarily going to disagree, but the bottom line is what companies actually care about and they both make shit tons of money.

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They were. Star Wars might still be somewhat profitable now - Disney don't reveal numbers for Disney+, so we don't know what the shows have made them. Rise of Skywalker didn't make much though, and Solo lost a lot.
The MCU is actually losing money now, and has been for a while now.

You have to understand that the production companies don't make their money one on one compared to box office numbers.
The theaters take their cut as well, and in the US that's a little over 40%, but in the rest of the world it's usually more.
But for argument's sake, let's assume the production companies recoup 60% of what the movies gross in cinemas. It's an easy number to use.

If Disney-Marvel spend 250 million to make Ant-Man 3, and another 200 million to market it (usually they spend about as much on marketing as they do on production, let's be a bit conservative) we get this: (250+200)/0.6=750.
So by this estimation Ant-Man 3 should gross around 750 million worldwide to make its money back. More to profit. That's not happening, and it hasn't happened for quite a few movies already.
Note that Spider-Man: No Way Home was made together with Sony, so yields from the big banger they scored are in large part flowing elsewhere.
Black Widow, Eternals and Shang-Chi definitely lost money, Thor 4 looks to be about break-even and Doctor Strange 2 probably made a profit, but definitely not enough to compensate.
And sure, they get revenue from Disney+ subs, but they're also making 4+ seasons of TV shows every year, and those aren't cheap either. Also, running a video platform has its costs.
I read somewhere that Disney are projected to have lost several billion dollars in the period after their last big succes with Avengers Endgame. Not sure how accurate that estimation was, but quick napkin math shows those numbers to be very plausible.

(And if you're wondering how they used to make this work, it's DVD and BluRay sales. But since streaming became a thing, those make almost nothing anymore. Streaming does replace some of that revenue, but streaming doesn't make nearly as much as physical media used to.)