Deadline reports that a Baldur's Gate 3 HBO series is now underway, with Craig Mazin attached as creator, writer, showrunner, and executive producer. Mazin is primarily known for his acclaimed work on the TV shows Chernobyl and The Last of Us, the latter of which is particularly relevant because it's also an adaptation of a game. Previously in his career, he also co-wrote the screenplays for movies like Scary Movie 3 and 4, The Hangover Part II and III, and The Huntsman: Winter's War.
The big difference compared to the adaptation of Naughty Dog's The Last of Us is that the Baldur's Gate 3 HBO series will pick up from the end of the game made by Larian Studios and continue from there. On the one hand, this is perfect because Larian famously decided against doing Baldur's Gate 3 DLCs or even a sequel, opting to make a new game based on its own Divinity IP. Many fans who loved characters like Astarion, Shadowheart, Gale, Karlach, Lae'zel, Wyll, and Halsin were eager to learn what would happen to them next.
On the other hand, there's the little issue that one of the game's main features is the ability for players to influence the events in major ways. For instance, in my playthrough, I killed both Lae'zel and Astarion. Even setting aside such extreme measures, the creators of the Baldur's Gate 3 HBO series will inevitably have to choose a specific thread for each character from among the various choices originally available in the cRPG.
Anyway, Mazin will be helped by executive producers Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, and Hasbro Entertainment's Gabriel Marano. Moreover, Chris Perkins, the former Head of Story at Wizards of the Coast, will be involved as a consultant. Craig Mazin shared the following statement to go along with the news:
After putting nearly 1000 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. I am a devoted fan of D&D and the brilliant way that Swen Vincke and his gifted team adapted it. I can’t wait to help bring Baldur’s Gate and all of its incredible characters to life with as much respect and love as we can, and I’m deeply grateful to Gabe Marano and his team at Hasbro for entrusting me with this incredibly important property.
Deadline's report adds that alongside characters from the game, the Baldur's Gate 3 HBO series will also feature some new ones. Indeed, it does sound like the new characters could be the main protagonists, though that remains unclear at the time being. By the way, Mazin has reportedly reached out to some of the game's excellent voice cast to participate in the adaptation in some capacity. There are no dates yet, but we know Mazin is preparing to shoot the third and final season of The Last of Us adaptation. Presumably, his next project will be Baldur's Gate 3.
Lastly, if you were wondering whether game developer Larian would be involved in any way, CEO Swen Vincke wrote on X that the endings were written specifically to serve as the base for new adventures, and added that Mazin has already reached out to them to have a chat about the TV show, so there's a chance Larian might pass on some of their ideas.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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