HBO Developing Baldur’s Gate Series From The Last of Us Creator Craig Mazin

Craig Mazin, the Emmy-winning writer-producer behind HBO’s Chernobyl and co-creator of The Last of Us, is lining up another high-profile video game adaptation — this time turning his attention to Baldur’s Gate 3, the critically acclaimed role-playing game from Larian Studios set within the world of Dungeons & Dragons.

HBO is developing Baldur’s Gate, a drama series based on the long-running Wizards of the Coast video game franchise, with Mazin attached to create, write, executive produce and serve as showrunner. Executive producers also include Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor and Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano. Chris Perkins, the former longtime head of story at Wizards of the Coast, will serve as a consultant on the series.

Unlike The Last of Us, which closely adapted the narrative of its PlayStation source material, Baldur’s Gate will chart a new course. The series is designed as a continuation of the games, with its story set immediately after the events of Baldur’s Gate 3. The narrative will explore the fallout from the game’s conclusion, following a mix of new characters and familiar faces as they navigate the consequences of those world-altering events.

Mazin’s involvement stems from a deep personal connection to the material. A longtime Dungeons & Dragons fan and Dungeon Master who has been playing weekly for more than 15 years, Mazin has also completed Baldur’s Gate 3 — including its notoriously difficult honor mode — and logged nearly 1,000 hours in the game.

“After putting nearly 1,000 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,” Mazin said. “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.”

With no new Baldur’s Gate game currently in development, the HBO series gives Mazin considerable creative freedom. Unlike The Last of Us, whose story arc is largely dictated by the existing games and is expected to conclude with its upcoming third season, Baldur’s Gate is conceived as an ongoing series that can explore a wide range of stories within the expansive Forgotten Realms setting.

The show will draw heavily from the narrative framework and lore of Baldur’s Gate 3 — including how the game begins and ends — while largely sidestepping the first two Baldur’s Gate titles, which are not considered official source material for this adaptation. That said, Mazin plans to incorporate elements of broader Dungeons & Dragons lore that connect the games under his agreement with Wizards of the Coast.

The series will feature a blend of established characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 and newly introduced protagonists. In keeping with D&D tradition, the story will follow relatively inexperienced characters at the outset, tracking their evolution through perilous adventures as they grow in power and influence. Along the way, they will cross paths with beloved figures from Baldur’s Gate 3 — heroes, villains and even literal devils — now far more powerful than before, and capable of helping or hindering the new generation of adventurers.

Mazin has also expressed interest in involving voice actors from the game in the television adaptation where possible, following a model he used on The Last of Us, which featured several performers from the original game, including Merle Dandridge, who reprised her role as Marlene. Mazin, who has an overall deal with HBO, is currently in final preparation on season three of The Last of Us.

“We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with Craig Mazin on Baldur’s Gate,” said Francesca Orsi, EVP and head of HBO drama programming. “His deep and long-standing passion for the source material, paired with his remarkable talent for building immersive worlds filled with rich, compelling characters, promises groundbreaking results.”

HBO’s Baldur’s Gate will exist alongside another live-action Dungeons & Dragons project in development at Netflix, where Hasbro Entertainment is building a Forgotten Realms series with Shawn Levy attached as a producer. Both projects share the same campaign setting, a vast universe designed to accommodate multiple, distinct storylines.

“The fans have been eagerly awaiting an adaptation of Baldur’s Gate, and we could not ask for better partners than HBO and the incomparable Craig Mazin to build this world with,” said Gabriel Marano, head of television at Hasbro Entertainment.

Originally launched in 1998, Baldur’s Gate is one of the most influential character-driven role-playing franchises in gaming history, known for its mature themes of political intrigue, crime and moral complexity. Baldur’s Gate 3 became a cultural phenomenon upon its release, amassing more than 15 million lifetime players, winning over 34 industry awards and making history as the first game to sweep all five major Game of the Year honors.