Magic: The Gathering is getting a documentary, titled Igniting the Spark, The Story of Magic: The Gathering, chronicling the game’s history since its 1993 release.
The Toys That Made Us producer Brian Stillman will be co-directing alongside Kelly Slagle, who had a hand in the creation of a documentary about Dungeons & Dragons called Of Dice and Men. In the producer’s role is Brian Volk-Weiss, CEO of The Nacelle Company and the same man behind Netflix’s The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us. All told, it sounds like the perfect team to cover Magic’s 25-plus-year history.
“Magic: The Gathering is a classic success story, a homegrown game that came from nowhere and achieved worldwide success,” said Stillman and Slagle in a press release. “It’s brought joy to millions of people and along the way completely transformed the game industry. We can’t wait to tell this story.”
Magic was created by mathematician-turned-game-designer Richard Garfield, and first published by Wizards of the Coast. The game popularized the collectible card game format, giving rise to modern games like Hearthstone and Gwent as well as hundreds of other tabletop games. Over 50 expansions — referred to as “sets” of cards — have been created for the game since then. Recent numbers from the publisher indicate that more than 35 million people have played the game worldwide.
Magic: The Gathering has long had a competitive pro circuit. Now that pro circuit is itself transitioning to the digital space with Magic: The Gathering Arena, a digital version of the card game. The 26th Magic World Championship is just around the corner, with $1 million on the line.
No release platform or date has been announced yet, but with Avengers: Endgame directors Anthony and Joe Russo working on a Magic: The Gathering Netflix show, the future of Magic media is look good.