EXCLUSIVE: Following Neon’s acquisition of his SXSW title Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, Matt Johnson is in pole position to direct the first film out of the live-action Magic: The Gathering universe being assembled by Legendary Entertainment and Hasbro Entertainment, sources tell Deadline.
The studios declined to comment. We hear they’ve not yet made a formal offer to Johnson, as it’s very early days here, but he is the choice to direct. No word yet on the take on the material, nor who will be scripting. Legendary and Hasbro announced their intention to launch a Magic film and TV universe, kicking off with a feature project, in February.
Marking Hasbro’s first $1 billion brand, Magic: The Gathering is recognized as the world’s first trading card game, having connected with more than 50 million fans of all ages worldwide since 1993. In the game, players take on the role of planeswalkers, powerful spellcasters who summon creatures, cast spells, and use artifacts to defeat their opponents. Over the years, it’s expanded into a global phenomenon, with competitive tournaments, professional play circuits, and a thriving secondary market for rare and powerful cards. The game’s ongoing storyline, set in a multiverse of fantasy worlds, has been expanded through card sets, novels, and even crossover collaborations with franchises like Dungeons & Dragons and Lord of the Rings.
Should the Magic: The Gathering deal make, Johnson would become the latest hot indie filmmaker to make the leap into the world of big studio IP-driven fare. The filmmaker broke out with his 2023 docudrama BlackBerry, charting the rise and fall of the world’s first smartphone, which premiered to critical raves at the Berlinale and was named by the National Board of Review as one of the Top Ten Independent Films of 2023.
Most recently, Johnson co-wrote, directed, and starred in Nirvanna the Band the Show the Movie, a comedy expanding upon a previous Canadian comedy series, which will soon be hitting theaters. Previously helming the Sundance-premiering NASA conspiracy thriller Operation Avalanche, the filmmaker has also been linked of late to A24’s Anthony Bourdain biopic Tony, starring Dominic Sessa, though the status of his deal there is unclear.
Johnson is represented by CAA and Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld.
