The recent success of The Hobbit and Game of Thrones has shown there is a real appetite for fantasy among audiences, so it is no surprise Fox are wanting to get in on the action, tapping (the pun will make sense later) an already successful fantasy franchise to get the big screen treatment. But they are not going the usual route of adapting a novel. Instead, they are attempting to build a massive cinematic franchise from collectible card game Magic: The Gathering, with X-Men: Days of Future Past and Sherlock Holmes writer Simon Kinberg signing on to pen the script.
First released in 1993 by Wizards of the Coast, the game is set in a world where wizards, known as Planeswalkers, use different colours of magic to battle evil. Players construct decks of cards that contain different creatures, spells, and artifacts, each with their own abilities. The game was so popular (with that popularity contunuing today) that it paved the way for other collectible card games, such as Yu-Gi-Oh!. There are several story lines built in the game, represented by text on the cards or the many novels that have spun from the game, so there is plenty of material for Kinberg to chose from, but I can't help but shake the feeling this will go the way of so many video game movies. Hopefully I'm proved wrong.
via THR
