The craze for computer game adaptations is picking up steam. While Netflix is working on Assassin’s Creed and Amazon is gathering its cast for God of War, HBO is diving into the fantasy world of Baldur’s Gate 3.
The award-winning game, created by Larian Studios, is set in a diverse Dungeons & Dragons universe. HBO has entrusted Craig Mazin, co-creator of The Last of Us series, with adapting the game into a TV show. He’ll write the script, produce the show, and serve as its showrunner.
Chris Perkins, who spent many years as Head of Story at Hasbro’s Wizards of the Coast, the game publisher behind D&D, will also oversee the Baldur’s Gate adaptation.
Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor and Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano will co-produce the series.
If you’ve never played Baldur’s Gate 3 but are familiar with shows such as The Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein, or even Stranger Things, you may recognise certain elements of this world. Here are the most important things you should know before watching the show.
When will the Baldur’s Gate TV series be released?
HBO hasn’t yet announced when the new series will premiere. It certainly won’t happen soon, as the project is in the very early stages of development — as we understand it, there’s no complete script yet.
Therefore, Baldur’s Gate may be released on HBO Max at the beginning of 2028 at the earliest. However, it may be even later, as fantasy productions require extensive preparation for costumes and set design, as well as significant post-production time.
What is the Baldur’s Gate game?
Baldur’s Gate is a series of role-playing video games that are part of the Dungeons & Dragons universe. They take place in the so-called Forgotten Realms – the setting created by game designer Ed Greenwood, who invented it as a backdrop for his childhood stories.
The Realms is a parallel world ruled by magic, home to various races and dangerous creatures. Earthlings can no longer access the land, though it’s a source of their tales and legends.
In the games, the player can create their own character and embark on a mission with a group of companions, or play as one of them. The gameplay consists of exploring lands, fighting, and interacting with other characters – the results of actions are determined by rolling a 20-sided die.
Released in 2023, Baldur’s Gate 3 is a sequel to Baldur’s Gate (1998) and Baldur’s Gate II: Shadows of Amn (2000). The game focuses on a group of heroes seeking a way to get rid of a parasitic tadpole introduced into their brains by monstrous creatures known as the mind flayers.
What’s the plot of the Baldur’s Gate TV series?
The HBO series won’t be an adaptation of any Baldur’s Gate game – it will depict events that take place after Baldur’s Gate 3. Given that the game can end in different ways depending on the player’s decisions, it’s difficult to predict how the writers will develop the series’ plot.
Craig Mazin stated:
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.
Who’s starring in the Baldur’s Gate TV series?
No actors have been cast in the HBO series yet. However, we do know that Mazin plans to bring iconic characters from the game to the series as well as introducing new ones. The showrunner is also eager to feature some members of Baldur’s Gate 3’s voice cast in the show.
Although it’s not yet clear what the show will be about, the following characters from the game may appear in it:
- Gale – a Wizard from the city of Waterdeep
- Astarion – a hedonistic Vampire
- Shadowheart – a cleric of Shar, the goddess of loss, who has lost memories of her past
- Lae’zel – a short-tempered Githyanki fighter
- Wyll – a Warlock folk hero
- Karlach – a Barbarian tiefling
- Minthara – a dark Elf of the Forgotten Realms, and a Paladin
- Halsin – a wood Elf Druid
- Jaheira – a half-Elf Druid
- Minsc – a human Ranger who travels with a hamster named Boo
Larian Studios
The game also features antagonists:
- The Absolute – the mysterious power, the centre of the cult led by four chosen ones
- Ketheric Thorm – the undead Paladin with Elven ancestry, one of the leaders of the Cult of the Absolute
- Enver Gortash – a human, one of the leaders of the Cult of the Absolute
- Orin the Red – a human, Chosen of Bhaal and one of the leaders of the Cult of the Absolute
- Dark Urge – a Dragonborn suffering from amnesia
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