Popverse's top stories of the day

• On the Road to NYCC 2024 - a look into an epic Writers Block featuring V.E. Schwab, Grady Hendrix, Tegan & Sara, and more
• What to Watch October 2024 - See what Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Max and more are streaming for the spookiest time of the year
• Comic Con Glossary of Terms: All the key lingo you need to navigate an upcoming cosplay, comic book, or anime convention

Well, this is embarrassing… but not for us. Less than two weeks after Brandon Routh announced that Netflix’s animated Magic: The Gathering series wasn’t happening, Netflix has clarified that, actually, it definitely is happening, with “new creative direction” from one of TV’s hottest writers to boot.

Routh had recently spoken to Collider about the project, saying, “I did do a voice for it. As far as I understand, nobody’s put out a press release about it, but apparently it’s not happening.” A press release, you say…? Say, like one with the headline A Magic: The Gathering Animated Series Is Heading to Netflix?

The latest news from Netflix about the series isn’t just that it’s still in development, but that the series is actually in production with new direction from showrunner and executive producer Terry Malalas — who worked with CBS Studios on the second and third seasons of Star Trek: Picard, and is now working with Marvel on the untitled Vision spin-off from WandaVision.

In a statement, Malalas said, “It has been an absolute dream collaboration with Netflix, Hasbro Entertainment, Wizards of the Coast, and the brilliant [supervising director and fellow executive producer] Patrick Osborne to bring the many worlds of Magic: The Gathering to streaming. Those new to this sprawling saga will learn what millions of fans who play every day already know. Magic is the ultimate storytelling sandbox, brimming with iconic, complex characters, extraordinary mind-bending powers, and portals to every genre imaginable. It is also a powerful reminder that no matter what culture, country, or plane of existence you come from, we can all unite and become heroes together.”

Accompanying the update was the first artwork from the series, which you can see at the top of this story.

What does this mean for Routh’s earlier comments? Well, one of two things would appear to be true — either no-one told Routh that the series was still on, or his earlier voice work has been dumped as part of the retooling of the series, and no-one let him know that. Whichever it may be, like I said earlier: the whole thing is a little embarrassing… just not for us.

Want to know what's coming up next in pop culture? Check out our guides to upcoming movies, upcoming TV shows, upcoming comics, and upcoming comic conventions. If you're looking for specific franchises or genres, we have all the upcoming MCU, upcoming Star Wars, upcoming Star Trek, and upcoming DC movies & TV for you. If you're a fan of superheroes and not specific to just Marvel or DC, we have overall guides to all the upcoming superhero movies and upcoming superhero TV shows (and new seasons) as well.