<\/p>\n
\n\tEXCLUSIVE<\/strong>: Craig Mazin<\/a>, co-creator of arguably the most acclaimed TV adaptation of a video game to date, HBO<\/a>\u2018s The Last Of Us<\/a><\/em>, will be taking on another hugely popular and acclaimed game title next, Larian Studios\u2019 Baldur\u2019s Gate 3<\/em>, which is set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons.<\/p>\n \n\tHBO is developing Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em>, a drama series based on Wizards of the Coast\u2019s video game franchise, with Mazin attached to create, write, executive produce and showrun the TV adaptation. Also exec producing are Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O\u2019Connor and Hasbro<\/a> Entertainment\u2019s Gabriel Marano. Chris Perkins, the former longtime Head of Story at Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast, which is behind the D&D game universe, will serve as consultant.<\/p>\n \n\tUnlike HBO\u2019s The Last Of Us<\/em>, which retold the story from the PlayStation games, the Baldur\u2019s Gate TV series will be a continuation to the games, telling a story that takes place immediately after the events of Baldur\u2019s Gate 3,<\/em> as the characters \u2014 old and new \u2014 are dealing with the ramifications of the events in the third game. <\/p>\n \n\tLike with The Last Of Us,<\/em> Mazin\u2019s passion for Baldur\u2019s Gate 3<\/em> and its characters led to his decision to adapt it as a TV series. He has proudly completed the Swen Vincke-developed game on the challenging honor mode, and he is also a longtime D&D fan, a Dungeon Master who has been playing the game weekly for the past 15 years, including tonight.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cAfter putting nearly 1000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur\u2019s Gate 3<\/em>, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created,\u201d Mazin said. \u201cI am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can\u2019t wait to help bring Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em> and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I\u2019m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tWith no ties to another Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em> game in development<\/a>, Mazin has freedom over the direction of the story, making it more of a traditional show vs. The Last of Us<\/em> whose plot and lifespan were determined by the existing games. As Deadline has reported<\/a>, the post-apocalyptic drama is expected to end with its upcoming third season<\/a>. Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em> slated to be Mazin\u2019s followup series for HBO where he also created and executive produced the Emmy-winning Chernobyl<\/em>.<\/p>\n \n\tBaldur\u2019s Gate <\/em>is designed to be ongoing and continue with different kinds of stories within the sprawling world of the game. The series draws deeply from the source material of Baldur\u2019s Gate 3 <\/em>\u2014 how it begins how the game ends \u2014 and not so much from the first two games which are not official source material. Still, there are some commonalities across those games that are connected to Dungeons & Dragons lore, which Mazin plans to draw upon under the agreement with Wizards of the Coast.<\/p>\n \n\tThe TV series will feature both existing characters from Baldur\u2019s Gate 3<\/em> and new ones. It is expected to keep the D&D tradition of taking new characters who are not that powerful and follow their journey through adventures that make them powerful. The new protagonists are bound to run into beloved characters from Baldur\u2019s Gate 3 <\/em>\u2014 some of them heroes, some of them villains, some of them literally devils \u2014 who occupy the same world. Now incredibly powerful, they will meddle, helping or hindering the new heroes.<\/p>\n \n\tMazin, who is just now starting his own journey with the material as his deal just closed, plans to reach out to voice cast members of Baldur\u2019s Gate 3 <\/em>with ideas for them to participate in the TV adaptation, if possible. He and The Last of Us<\/em> co-creator Neil Druckmann did it on their HBO series with several actors from that game, most notably Merle Dandridge who reprised her role as Marlene. Mazin, who has an overall deal with HBO, is now in final prep on Season 3 of The Last of Us. <\/em><\/p>\n \n\t\u201cWe\u2019re thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig Mazin on Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em>,\u201d Francesca Orsi, EVP, Head of HBO Drama Programming said. \u201cHis 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tHBO\u2019s Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em> is designed to co-exist alongside The Forgotten Realms<\/em> live-action Dungeons & Dragons series Hasbro Entertainment has set up at Netflix with Shawn Levy producing. The two share D&D\u2019s The Forgotten Realms campaign setting, which is vast and could accommodate multiple TV series.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe fans have been eagerly awaiting an adaptation of Baldur\u2019s Gate<\/em>, and we could not ask for better partners than HBO and the incomparable Craig Mazin to build this world with,\u201d Gabriel Marano, Head of Television, Hasbro Entertainment said.<\/p>\n