HBO is developing a live-action Baldur’s Gate series, with Craig Mazin attached to spearhead the adaptation. Best known for co-creating HBO’s acclaimed video game drama The Last of Us, Mazin is now turning his attention to one of the most celebrated role-playing games of all time, set within the Dungeons & Dragons universe.
A story that moves forward, not back
Rather than retelling familiar ground, the Baldur’s Gate series is being conceived as a continuation of the story told in Baldur’s Gate 3. The show will take place after the events of the game, following characters old and new as they grapple with the consequences of its world-altering finale. That approach immediately sets it apart from HBO’s The Last of Us, which closely adapted the narrative of the original PlayStation titles.
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The decision opens up the possibility of a more flexible, ongoing series, allowing the show to explore fresh conflicts and evolving power dynamics within the sprawling fantasy setting rather than working towards a fixed endpoint.
Craig Mazin’s next HBO collaboration
Deadline broke the news, reporting that HBO is developing Baldur’s Gate with Mazin attached to create, write, executive produce, and showrun the series. He is joined by executive producers Jacqueline Lesko, Cecil O’Connor, and Hasbro Entertainment’s Gabriel Marano, with former Wizards of the Coast Head of Story Chris Perkins serving as a consultant.
Mazin’s connection to the project runs deeper than a standard adaptation job. Speaking to Deadline, the Chernobyl series creator said, “After putting nearly 1000 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.”
He added, “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.”
Creative freedom beyond the games
With no new Baldur’s Gate game currently in development, the HBO series is not tied to an existing release roadmap. That gives Mazin and his team significant creative freedom in determining the direction and lifespan of the story, a contrast to The Last of Us, which is expected to conclude with its upcoming third season.
The show is designed to be ongoing, drawing primarily from the lore, themes, and narrative endpoints of Baldur’s Gate 3 rather than the first two games. While those earlier entries are not considered official source material for the series, elements of their shared Dungeons & Dragons lore may still inform the world-building.
Larian Studios’ limited involvement
One element drawing attention is the currently minimal involvement of Larian Studios, the developer behind Baldur’s Gate 3. As discussed by IGN and addressed publicly by industry figures, Larian does not appear to be directly involved in writing or consulting on the HBO series at this stage.
Larian CEO Swen Vincke has acknowledged the adaptation, noting that the game’s endings were intentionally designed to leave space for future stories. In a post following the announcement, Vincke wrote, “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.” He added, “The endings of Baldur’s Gate 3 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.”
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.
We worked incredibly hard on making Baldur’s Gate 3 worthy of its legacy. Its characters and narratives are the result… https://t.co/eOuA5JEvn4
— Swen Vincke @where? (@LarAtLarian) February 6, 2026
Familiar faces, new heroes
The series is expected to blend established characters from Baldur’s Gate 3 with new protagonists, following a classic D&D structure in which inexperienced adventurers grow in power through peril, alliances, and hard-earned victories. Those newcomers are likely to encounter characters players already know, now operating at a very different level within the world.
Mazin has also indicated plans to reach out to members of the game’s voice cast to explore possible involvement, echoing the approach taken on The Last of Us, where several actors reprised or expanded upon their roles in the HBO adaptation.
With Mazin currently in final preparation on season 3 of The Last of Us, Baldur’s Gate remains early in development. Still, the combination of HBO, one of the most successful video game showrunners working today, and a massively popular RPG franchise positions the series as one of the more closely watched adaptations on the horizon.
