After The Last of Us, HBO Is Adapting Baldur's Gate 3 for TV With Craig Mazin as Creator

After adapting Sony's The Last of Us for TV, HBO is setting its sights on a drama TV series based on Larian Studios' acclaimed RPG, Baldur's Gate 3. The show will reportedly be helmed by Craig Mazin, the co-creator of HBO's The Last of Us. However, unlike The Last of Us TV show, which was co-created by Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann, Larian will not be involved with the adaptation of Baldur's Gate 3.

Mazin, who previously co-created acclaimed HBO drama Chernobyl, will create, write, executive produce, and showrun the new adaptation, according to a report published Thursday in Deadline.

The Baldur's Gate TV show will continue the story of the Game of the Year-winning RPG from Larian, taking place immediately after the events of the game, the report claimed. It will feature characters from Baldur's Gate 3 dealing with the aftermath of the game's ending.

According to the report, Mazin is a fan of the game and a long-time fan of Dungeons & Dragons, on which Baldur's Gate 3 is based. He claims to have put in nearly 1,000 hours in the RPG. Mazin called the opportunity to adapt the game for TV a “dream come true”.

“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,” the showrunner said.

Craig Mazin co-created HBO's The Last of Us alongside Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann
Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Discovery

Larian Studios Not Involved With Show

Larian Studios is not involved in the HBO adaptation of the game, the intellectual property rights of which belong to Wizards of the Coast. Following the Deadline report, The Game Awards creator Geoff Keighley confirmed that Larian was not attached to the project.

Larian CEO Swen Vincke said he was “eager” to see the direction the show takes.

“Crazy that a story that started out in a small hotel conference room eventually evolved into a narrative inspiring enough for it to become a HBO series,” Vincke said on X Friday.

“We worked incredibly hard on making Baldur's Gate 3 worthy of its legacy. Its characters and narratives are the result of many teams working together and I think I can speak for them all in saying that they'll think this is cool and hope that what comes next will enjoy the same level of passion.

“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.”

Baldur's Gate 3 released in 2023 to widespread critical acclaim. The D&D RPG went on to win Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2023 and is considered one of the best games ever made.