Thor: Ragnarok & Arrival Showrunners Land Dungeon Crawler Carl
"Dungeon Crawler Carl" Gets a TV Show: Everything You Need to Know
TL;DR: Peacock is making a TV series based on the hit book series Dungeon Crawler Carl. Two Hollywood heavyweights are running the show, and the star of the audiobooks will voice the famous talking cat. Here’s the full scoop in plain English.
What Is "Dungeon Crawler Carl"?
Imagine the world ends—not with a bang, but with a game show.
That’s the wild premise of Dungeon Crawler Carl, a popular book series by Matt Dinniman.
- Genre: Science fantasy + LitRPG
What’s LitRPG?
It stands for Literature Role-Playing Game. Think: a story where characters level up, gain stats, loot gear, and fight bosses—like a video game, but in book form. - Vibe: Dark comedy, absurd humor, and genuine heart
- Main Characters:
- Carl – A regular guy, Coast Guard vet, just trying to survive
- Princess Donut – His ex-girlfriend’s award-winning, tiara-wearing, talking cat (yes, really)
The Big News: Peacock Orders the Series
In June 2024, NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock gave the project a straight-to-series order.
What does "straight-to-series" mean?
Usually, networks make a pilot (one test episode) first. If they like it, they order more.
Straight-to-series = they skipped the pilot and committed to a full season right away.
That’s a huge vote of confidence.
Meet the Showrunners: The Dream Team Behind the Camera
Two veteran writers/producers are teaming up as co-showrunners.
What’s a showrunner?
The "head coach" of a TV show. They oversee writing, production, creative decisions, and day-to-day operations.
1. Chris Yost
- Named writer on the project from the start
- Marvel cred: Wrote Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok
- Star Wars cred: Writer & executive consultant on The Mandalorian (Season 1), plus Star Wars: Maul – Shadow Lord
- Style: Big-scale action, genre blending, character-driven spectacle
2. Eric Heisserer
- Most recently: Showrunner/creator of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone
- Film hits: Wrote Bird Box (Sandra Bullock) and Arrival (Oscar-nominated, directed by Denis Villeneuve)
- Up next: Original script Mysteria set up at Amazon
- Style: Smart sci-fi, emotional grounding, complex worldbuilding
The Story: Aliens, Game Shows, and a Talking Cat
Here’s the setup in a nutshell:
- Aliens invade Earth and wipe out most of humanity.
- Survivors are forced into a sadistic intergalactic game show: Dungeon Crawler World.
- Carl gets drafted—barefoot, unprepared, and stuck with Princess Donut.
- They must fight monsters, aliens, rogue AI, and other survivors… all for entertainment.
- Survival is optional. Entertainment is mandatory.
Fun Fact: Princess Donut isn’t just a pet. She talks. She has opinions. She wears a tiara. She’s a Queen Anne Chonk (a very fancy, very chubby cat breed). And she might be the smartest one in the room.
Who’s Playing the Cat?
Jeff Hays — the beloved narrator/producer of the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks — will voice Princess Donut.
- Fans know him as Donut. He is the voice of the cat.
- This is a rare case where the audiobook performer reprises their role on screen.
The Producers Behind the Scenes
The show is produced by Fuzzy Door (Seth MacFarlane’s company) and Universal Global Television.
Executive Producers:
- Seth MacFarlane (Family Guy, The Orville, Cosmos)
- Erica Huggins (Fuzzy Door president)
- Rachel Hargreaves-Heald (Fuzzy Door TV head)
- Chris Yost
- Eric Heisserer
From Cat Shows to TV: The 7-Year Journey
| Year | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2019 | Matt Dinniman posts vignettes online as a hobby — while working as a sketch artist at cat shows |
| 2020+ | Stories explode on Royal Road (web fiction site) → self-published as ebooks/audiobooks |
| 2021+ | Audiobooks narrated by Jeff Hays become massive hits |
| 2023 | Major publishers (Ace/Berkley) pick up the series for print |
| 2024 | Peacock orders straight-to-series with Yost & Heisserer attached |
Real-life irony: The author drew cats for a living. Now his talking cat is getting a TV show.
Why This Matters for Fans
- Faithful adaptation signals: The audiobook narrator is in the show. The showrunners love genre fiction. The author’s weird, specific humor has a team that gets it.
- LitRPG goes mainstream: One of the genre’s biggest breakout hits is getting the prestige treatment.
- Weird wins: A barefoot vet + a talking cat + alien game show = exactly the kind of bold, strange story streaming needs.
Summary
- Peacock greenlit Dungeon Crawler Carl as a straight-to-series drama
- Chris Yost (Thor, Mandalorian) & Eric Heisserer (Shadow and Bone, Arrival) are co-showrunners
- Jeff Hays (audiobook narrator) will voice Princess Donut, the talking cat
- Produced by Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door + Universal Global Television
- Based on Matt Dinniman’s LitRPG hit — born from cat-show sketching hobby
- 7 years from web fiction to TV series
FAQ
What is Dungeon Crawler Carl about?
A regular guy and a talking cat survive an alien apocalypse by competing in a televised dungeon-crawling game show. It’s funny, violent, weirdly wholesome, and surprisingly deep.
Do I need to read the books before watching?
Nope! The show will stand on its own. But the books (7+ so far) are highly rated — especially the audiobooks narrated by Jeff Hays.
When will the show come out?
No official release date yet. With a straight-to-series order in mid-2024, expect late 2025 or 2026.
Is this for kids?
No. It’s adult-oriented: gore, profanity, dark themes, existential dread — wrapped in absurd humor. Think The Boys meets Alice in Wonderland with RPG mechanics.
Where can I read the books?
- Audiobooks: Audible (narrated by Jeff Hays — start here!)
- Ebooks/Print: Amazon, Bookshop.org, major retailers
- Free web version: Royal Road (early drafts, still available)
Final Thought:
A sketch artist at cat shows wrote a story about a talking cat in an alien game show.
Now it’s a Peacock series run by the guys behind Thor, The Mandalorian, Arrival, and Shadow and Bone.
Weird wins. Keep making your weird stuff.