RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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I've been a fan of the Dungeon Crawler Carl books for years now. It was one of the first LitRPG series recommended to me and I absolutely devoured the first four books. Since then I've always dropped everything to read every new entry as soon as it gets released. And when everyone told me I should listen to the audiobooks , I had the chance to experience the magic all over again.
As a fan, I couldn't be happier that DCC has been getting the recognition it deserves. Matt Dinniman's story has become a full-blown franchise in a fairly short period of time and there's still more to come. With two more books on the way and a TV series in the works at Peacock , Dungeon Crawler Carl has plenty of room to grow.
As a fan of the LitRPG books, however, I'm a bit worried about what this adaptation could mean for the rest of the genre. If it's hugely successful, it could be a potential gateway to even more LitRPG adaptations. But if it isn't, it could be the last time a major studio takes a chance on a book series like Dungeon Crawler Carl .
What It Would Take to Make a Good Dungeon Crawler Carl TV Series
Dungeon Crawler Carl already has a proven track record of being sucessfully adapted into a different format. The first audiobook for the series was released while Dinniman was "well into book four" and helped elevate it to the level of popularity we're seeing today. Since then, the audiobook version has actually outsold print and digital copies of the books.
The success of the audiobooks can largely be attributed to the narrator, Jeff Hays, who voices almost all of the whacky characters that get introduced throughout the story. So the fact that Hays is the first official cast member of the show is a good sign that it's headed in the right direction. Right now he's only been given the voice of Princess Donut, but I'm hopeful they'll bring him in for some other key roles as well.
IGN had the chance to interview Dinniman during SDCC this year and he had this to say about the casting choice: "I think Fuzzy Door would have a riot on their hands if they hadn't cast Jeff in something. He's so associated with that sound and that voice. Anybody else would be jarring."
Whoever is put in these roles won't just need to look the part, they'll need to sound the part While Hays voicing Donut is definitely a positive, it's why he's only been confirmed to be voicing Donut so far that worries me: Fuzzy Door has already stated that the series is going to be a live-action adaptation. With Hays' voices being the ones the majority of fans are going to automatically associate with the characters, casting someone else to play those roles could potentially be jarring. Whoever is put in these roles won't just need to look the part, they'll need to sound the part or risk fans being upset.
I'm not saying going for live action is a bad idea, but it's definitely something that could be hard to get right. An animated series could have aligned better with fan expectations because of how easy it would be to slot Jeff Hays' wonderful voices into each character. Taking the live-action route will already need to lean heavily on CGI to get everything to fit the chaotic atmosphere of each dungeon floor, so there's still plenty of room for Hays to elevate the show beyond one role.
Speaking of CGI, I had the chance to speak to the The Wandering Inn author Pirateaba earlier this year and they shared a concern for their own LitRPG series, should it ever get adapted. "CGI or live action would surely fail given the complexities of characters," said Pirateaba, "I could cite any number of fantasy stories that got their shot and failed. Sometimes it’s just so hard to make, other times the production elements are the problem."
Peacock Isn't the Biggest Streaming Service
The Future of LitRPG Adaptations
I may have my reservations about Fuzzy Door's Dungeon Crawler Carl adaptation, but I also have high hopes for it. The LitRPG genre is my favorite genre to read and there's a ton of great stories out there just waiting to be adapted for the screen. A successful live-action DCC series is the catalyst the genre needs to move beyond just written words, and I think mainstream audiences are absolutely ready for it.
I think the genre will eventually find its place with fans of adult animation regardless of what happens with Dungeon Crawler Carl, though. The success of Critical Role with The Legend of Vox Machina and The Mighty Nein can attest to that. Some of the most popular LitRPG books have a loyal fanbase that is definitely more likely to enjoy a good cartoon from time to time.
Jacob Kienlen is a Senior Audience Development Strategist and Writer for IGN. Born and raised in Portland, Oregon, he has considered the Northwest his home for his entire life. With a bachelor's degree in communication and 10 years of professional writing experience, his expertise is spread across a variety of different pop culture topics -- from TV series to books and the latest Pokémon games .
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