• Platform: HBO Drama Series
  • Showrunner: Craig Mazin (The Last of Us, Chernobyl)
  • Narrative Focus: A direct continuation of Baldur’s Gate 3, set immediately after the game's events.
  • Developer Involvement: Larian Studios is not directly involved in production or writing.
  • Legacy Status: Baldur’s Gate 1 and 2 are reportedly not being treated as official source material for the show.

The Last of Us Treatment for Faerûn

HBO is looking to strike gold twice. After the massive success of The Last of Us, they’ve tapped Craig Mazin to showrun a live-action Baldur’s Gate drama. This isn’t just a loose adaptation; it’s being framed as a direct sequel to the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. While Mazin has a proven track record of respecting game lore, the project is already raising eyebrows across the industry due to who is—and who isn’t—sitting at the table.

The Larian-Sized Hole in Production

In a move that feels wildly different from Bethesda’s hands-on approach with the Fallout series, Larian Studios appears to be sidelined. While Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast bigwigs are filling executive producer chairs, the team that actually built the 2023 Game of the Year is watching from the bleachers.

Larian boss Swen Vincke is playing the diplomat, noting that the game's endings were designed as "narrative soil for new adventures" and confirming he’s open to a chat with Mazin. However, Larian’s publishing head, Michael Douse, isn't holding back. Douse has been vocal on social media, reminding the industry that Larian "made it popular enough for it to be referred to as Baldur's Gate 3" in the first place. For veterans who saw Larian pour their souls into this world, the lack of a formal consulting role for their writers feels like a missed opportunity at best and a snub at worst.

Canon Shifts and Casting Hopes

Perhaps the most controversial bit of intel is that the show "draws deeply" from BG3 while essentially ignoring the first two legendary Bioware entries. The report suggests BG1 and BG2 are "not official source material" for this production. For those of us who grew up with Minsc and Boo in the original Infinity Engine games, seeing those classics relegated to "wider themes" rather than foundational canon is a tough pill to swallow.

On the bright side, Mazin reportedly wants the BG3 voice cast involved. We believe that securing the original actors is the only way to maintain the "lightning in a bottle" energy Larian captured. If you don't have the original voices for characters like Astarion or Shadowheart, you're just making high-budget fan fiction.

Our Take: A High-Stakes Gamble

Setting the show "immediately after" the game's events is a massive technical hurdle. Baldur’s Gate 3 is famous for its branching paths and wildly different endings. By picking a specific "post-game" story to tell, HBO will effectively have to choose a "canonical" ending, which inevitably alienates players who chose a different path. Without Larian there to guide those narrative choices, Craig Mazin is walking into a logic-bomb minefield. We’re eager to see if he can pull it off, but the lack of direct developer input makes this a much riskier venture than it needs to be.