Baldur's Gate TV series in the works from The Last of Us showrunner – with one major twist

The video game Baldur’s Gate 3, a beloved 2023 role-playing experience set in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, is officially being adapted for TV. But there is a major twist to this tale!

The basics of this news, as broken by Deadline, are fairly simple: Craig Mazin, who is currently making the third and final season of HBO’s The Last of Us, has landed the job of bringing BG3 to TV as his next gig at the same network.

“After putting nearly 1,000 hours into the incredible world of Baldur’s Gate 3, it is a dream come true to be able to continue the story that Larian and Wizards of The Coast created,” Mazin is quoted as saying.

He added: “I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that [game director] Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it.”

So far, this news is playing out exactly as you’d expect - an established TV showrunner, fresh off the back of one huge gaming adaptation, is lining up another game he loves for similar treatment.

However, things get slightly more surprising when you dig into the details of what this TV series really is – instead of being a straight adaptation of Baldur’s Gate 3, the TV show is actually set after the events of the game.

As Deadline explains it, “the Baldur’s Gate TV series will be a continuation to the games, telling a story that takes place immediately after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3, as the characters – old and new – are dealing with the ramifications of the events in the third game”.

The mention of “old” characters is sure to get the fandom excited, given that BG3 cast members like Neil Newbon (Astarion), Devora Wilde (Lae’zel), Jennifer English (Shadowheart) and Samantha Béart (Karlach) have become beloved figures in the community in the years since the game launched.

Exactly how will this mix of “old and new” characters work? As Deadline puts it, the TV show “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”.

And will the voice cast from the games actually appear in the show themselves? It sounds like a distinct possibility! Deadline notes that Mazin “plans to reach out to voice cast members of Baldur’s Gate 3 with ideas for them to participate in the TV adaptation, if possible”.

We could, for example, feasibly hope to see a live-action Astarion played by Newbon himself. Our fingers, as well as all the fans’, remain crossed on that front!

As we hear more about the Baldur’s Gate 3 TV show, which we’d assume to be several years away from our screens, we’ll be sure to keep you posted.

In the meantime, you can check out our video interviews with the game cast below!

Find full episodes of Arcade Hang on YouTube:

• Devora Wilde talks Baldur's Gate 3, 4 and prequel hopes
• Neil Newbon talks reprising Astarion, and his D&D podcast
• Karlach actor Samantha Béart talks Baldur's Gate 3 and more

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