Baldur’s Gate 3 HBO Series: Craig Mazin Adapts, But Larian Not Involved

Recently it was revealed HBO is planning to produce a Baldur’s Gate live-action adaptation, led by Craig Mazin, who was one of the leads who brought The Last of Us to life over the last few years. The Baldur’s Gate show will continue from the events of Baldur’s Gate 3 and will feature characters from the smash-hit 2023 game.

However, shortly after the news dropped, it was announced that Larian Studios, the developers behind Baldur’s Gate 3, would not be involved in the series.

Larian not being involved in the television series is a change from the recent trend where developers have direct input in production for their live-action adaptations. Neil Druckmann is a writer and executive producer on The Last of Us. Similarly, Todd Howard has executive producer credits and was deeply involved in the creation of Fallout.

One of the few examples of a developer not being involved was the Borderlands Movie, though Randy Pitchford did admit that while he did not have any input in the movie, he would have felt uncomfortable if he had.

Meanwhile, Larian has had differing reactions to the news. Director of Publishing at Larian Studios, Michael Douse, stated simply on X

“Except that we made it popular enough for it to be referred to as Baldur’s Gate 3.”

When asked in the comments if Larian would ‘sue or something’, Douse simply said ‘Not really.’ Douse continued to write a series of lengthy posts praising the Larian video game writers ‘I genuinely don’t think anyone can trump our writers.’ He wrapped up by saying, ‘Don’t abandon hope, but do expect the world. That’s the job.’

Larian CEO Swen Vincke has cleared the air recently, stating that Craig and his team have reached out for conversations about the show.

“The endings of BG3 were created so they could serve as narrative soil for new adventures. There’s plenty of directions they could go. I’m eager to find out which ones Craig and his team will pick. He’s reached out for a chat so we’ll have the opportunity to tell him our thoughts.”

Are you concerned about Larian not being directly involved in the Baldur’s Gate 3 television show? What are your expectations for a live-action Baldur’s Gate? Leave a comment down below and hop into the official GamerzTheory Discord.