Netflix will premiere Planeswalker in 2027: the animated series based on Magic: The Gathering now has an official title and a first teaser. The preview introduces Chandra, a pyromancer pursued for her powers and haunted by her past; the platform has not yet announced a specific release date.
Netflix revealed the production's name during MagicCon Atlanta. The first look released on November 13 shows Chandra stroking a feather and conjuring a flame in her hand to light the way. The teaser primarily offers a glimpse of the series' visual style: it reveals no specific plot details.
Chandra, pursued for her powers
The story revolves around the clash between powerful mages known as Planeswalkers. At its center is Chandra Nalaar, a volatile pyromancer: she is pursued for her gifts and burdened by a past that haunts her, according to the synopsis published by Netflix and Wizards of the Coast.
The official description adds that an insidious force drives Chandra and some of the most legendary Planeswalkers to master their abilities, face dangerous alliances, and battle their own demons. Their goal will be to prevent a catastrophic war that threatens to consume them. The synopsis sets up a conflict of survival and power on a scale spanning thousands of worlds.
Hobby Consolas's description has Chandra joining a group of Planeswalkers to learn to control her abilities and emerge victorious. The preview does not reveal which characters will accompany the protagonist or how that struggle will unfold; Netflix has shared no further story details alongside the first look.
“Each one of these cards is a window into this incredible world. It’s not just world-building — it’s worlds-building.”
— Terry Matalas, showrunner
Matalas's remark sums up the scale the team attributes to the adaptation: not merely building a setting, but bringing the game's variety of worlds to the screen. In comments reported by Netflix Tudum, co-showrunner Cindy Appel explained that the team has thousands of cards to draw on as it works on this universe.
The creative team and animation
Terry Matalas will be the showrunner and Cindy Appel the co-showrunner. Matalas has worked on VisionQuest and Star Trek: Picard; Appel also worked on Picard and VisionQuest. Patrick Osborne, director of Feast, will serve as supervising director and executive producer. Netflix Tudum identifies Osborne as an Oscar winner.
Gabriel Marano will also serve as an executive producer, while Lauren Chavez-Myers will be the co-executive producer for Hasbro Entertainment. Daisy West is listed as a producer, and DIGIC Pictures will handle the animation. The series is being developed in collaboration with Hasbro Entertainment and Wizards of the Coast, the company behind Magic: The Gathering.
Cartoon Brew notes that the visual design will vary from shot to shot: each plane has its own culture, architecture, and design language, and the art team will adjust the staging and framing according to where each sequence takes place. The teaser released so far offers an early indication of the visual tone, but does not show how these environments will be distinguished throughout the series.
Appel also discussed the size of the universe underpinning the adaptation. Matalas, for his part, told Netflix that he was excited to introduce those characters in ways audiences had not seen before.
A project announced in 2019 and rebooted
Netflix first announced the series in June 2019, with Avengers: Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo attached to the project. Eurogamer reported that it was then expected to arrive in late 2022, a date that was not met.
Two years after the initial announcement, the series' original team left the project over creative differences, according to Eurogamer. In September 2024, Netflix confirmed it was starting over from scratch, this time with Matalas at the helm. The latest announcement introduces the new phase under the title Planeswalker and sets 2027 as its release window.
The period between the original announcement and this presentation was therefore marked by team changes and a complete overhaul of the project. The adaptation now has an identified creative team and a defined protagonist.
2027, with no confirmed release date
Netflix and Wizards of the Coast have set the premiere for sometime in 2027. The platform has not specified a month or day.
The series will adapt the universe of the Magic: The Gathering collectible card game, but according to the official synopsis, its story will focus on Chandra and a war capable of endangering thousands of worlds. For now, the teaser offers a brief image: a flame in the protagonist's hand and the announcement that Planeswalker is coming to Netflix in 2027.
Sources: Hobby Consolas, Eurogamer.net, Netflix Tudum, Netflix Tudum, MAGIC: THE GATHERING, Cartoon Brew, What's on Netflix
