Netflix's Magic: The Gathering anime series is not happening, according to a voice actor, before adding "that's kinda old news".

In 2019, a Netflix show for Magic: The Gathering had been announced. This was just a few months before the hugely popular Arcane Series made its own announcement that same year.

It seemed obvious at the time. Magic: The Gathering, like League of Legends has a rich lore from which to draw for its own tales. It was even led by the Russo Brothers of Marvel fame. They lasted until 2021 when they decided to leave over "creative disagreements". Ah, the old chestnut.

It's likely been thrown away, just like so many card packs. According to Brandon Routh, one of the voice actors for the project, the show has been dead since a long time. He said this to Collider in a conversation about sci-fi terror Ick. Netflix didn't tell anyone about the "old news" despite the fact they should have. Here's the complete quote:

"I'm unsure." I did do a voice for it. As far as I can tell, no press release has been issued about it. But it doesn't seem to be happening. This is old news. I'm not certain why it's coming up again."

Routh was supposed to voice Gideon Jura. He is a planeswalker, good paladin, and a person who leans towards white mana. He also uses a sural which is a steel whip-equipped armguard that violates OSHA. It's a bit upsetting to watch someone animate it, but I'm not sure that was the main reason for the cancellation.

As for the reasons, there isn't much to say, given the relative silence surrounding the series. It was, as stated in the original announcement, intended to "cross genres such as suspenseful thrillers, horror, and Drama". We'll never know what that means.

It's not my intention to give false hope, but Routh is only one of the voice actors on the project. There's still an asterisk of Damocles hanging over the entire thing. It's possible that version of the script was scrapped. This is a sign that this series is in some form or another of creative development hell.

I wouldn't wait for a response, given the radio silence and Netflix's increasing cancellation-happy attitude. I am in the process of contacting Wizards of the Coast for a comment and will update this article if a response is received.