Brandon Routh is heading to streaming television after stints on The CW's Legends of Tomorrow and ABC's The Rookie, and it's safe to say that his new project will take him in some very different directions than the DC Comics superhero series and Nathan Fillion-led crime drama. Routh landed a role on an upcoming Netflix project that will involve his voice talents rather than live action. Prepare for Brandon Routh as star of Magic: The Gathering!
An animated TV series based on the popular Magic: The Gathering card game has been developing for more than two years now, and it has finally taken a big step forward with the announcement that Brandon Routh will be voicing none other than Gideon Jura (who is definitely not the Gideon that Routh interacted with as Ray Palmer on Legends of Tomorrow). Routh, who is apparently a big fan of the game himself, shared the news in a video on the Netflix Geeked Twitter account, saying:
Greetings, Magic fans! I'm Brandon Routh and I play Gideon in the upcoming Magic: The Gathering animated series coming to Netflix in 2022. For those of you that don't know, Gideon is known for being the strong guy who always stands up for what's right, just, and isn't afraid to fight. Now I understand why they hired me for this. Makes sense. [laughs] But seriously, I'm really excited about this show and really proud and honored to be a part of it. I'm a huge Magic fan, I've been playing since I was sixteen. I've played many drafts over the years, and have too many cards. [laughs] More than I should.
Brandon Routh went on to reiterate that he loves the world of Magic: The Gathering and is "very excited to be a part of this animated series" and he'll "see you around the multiverse" in 2022. All things considered, it's fun to learn that Routh landed the role of Gideon as such a big fan of Magic, and Henry Cavill over on another Netflix series can probably relate to the feeling of winning a starring role on something you already love!
Word broke of this Magic: The Gathering TV show back in June 2019, with the big news that Joe and Anthony Russo of the Marvel Cinematic Universe would be helming it. Just last week, however, Deadline reported that the Russo brothers and their team of writers actually left development of the series early on in an amicable but apparently definitive split. Jeff Kline, known for Transformers: Prime, took the helm.
That news seemed like it could indicate Magic: The Gathering had a ways to go in making real progress toward a premiere on Netflix, so Brandon Routh announcing his casting has to be a reassuring reveal for any viewers who have been waiting for the streamer's take on the Magic universe. It's not clear just when in 2022 the show could premiere, but having a premiere window is still better than going another couple years with little in the way of big news!
Besides, as an animated series, Magic: The Gathering is less likely to be set back by any potential production shutdowns, although hopefully shutdowns throughout the entertainment industry won't have to happen again. For now, it's a waiting game to find out more about the series. There are plenty of projects featuring Brandon Routh streaming on Netflix, however, with Legends of Tomorrow, Arrow, and The Flash all available.
