NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
Dungeon Crawler Carl has been the subject of a social media frenzy over the past year or so. LitRPG has gained a cult following since the first book was published in 2020. It’s been a huge hit for readers and gamers alike. Just as all great book series these days do, it has been turned into a TV series for streaming, headed up by Seth McFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions.
For those that don’t know a thing about Dungeon Crawler Car, here’s the gist (from Amazon Books):
Dungeon Crawler Carl (Book 1) follows Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s cat, Princess Donut, as they survive an alien takeover of Earth. When all structures collapse into a 18-level “World Dungeon,” they must battle monsters and navigate traps in a televised, video game-like reality show. It is a LitRPG tale of survival, sarcasm, and leveling up.
What’s the Budget?
Here’s the hard part, budget shouldn’t matter so much as likable characters and great storytelling. However, this is essentially a video game premise brought to a TV series. These aren’t just actors telling a story, there a ton of different characters, each who have specific races and classes, and talking cats. None of those things can be properly established without great detail. It will need either heavy CGI or great puppeteering. Not to mention, there are huge boss battles in the books. How do they expect to pull off this show on such a grand scale?
Who Will Be Cast?
Another huge hurdle for the show. While every character from the books needs to be represented accurately, there’s no bigger need than to get Carl and Princess Donut right. Each character might hold a special place in readers’ hearts as a fan favorite, but the bedrock of the story is the relationship between Carl and his traveling companion, his ex-girlfriend’s show cat. Zoom out just a bit, and the next biggest casting is Mordecai. The duo’s biggest asset needs to be both the cranky game guide and the closest ally. He’s the tutorial to start the dungeon that holds down Carl’s safe house. He also has to have the same on-screen chemistry as the duo.
What Will It Be Rated?
While it may seem like an adventure for all ages, Dungeon Crawler Carl is an adult-themed book. From meth-dealing llamas to dead hookers in book two, to Carl’s reluctant catchphrase “God damnit Donut,” and all the other crazy hijinks that go on in the books, this one probably won’t be a good family-friendly series. If we’re lucky, we’ll end up with something along the lines of Peacock’s already popular video game-turned-series Twisted Metal. Hopefully, that’s the bar with a bit of adult humor and language; it may be a bit more mature, but sticks to its roots.
If Dungeon Crawler Carl can be pulled off correctly, it could be a huge hit for Peacock. It’s just wild and zany enough to give audiences a breath of fresh air from reboots, prequels, and sequels. Hopefully, this one is fast-forwarded through production and can get to screens sooner rather than later.
