The upcoming Dungeon Crawler Carl TV series at Peacock has brought in a big name to help lead the project. Eric Heisserer, the creator of Netflix’s Shadow and Bone and the writer behind films like Arrival and Bird Box, has joined the team as co-showrunner. He will work alongside Chris Yost, who was already attached to write and executive produce the adaptation.
This news comes just two months after Peacock gave the series a straight-to-series order. The show is based on the popular LitRPG book series by Matt Dinniman, which has sold more than 14 million copies across all formats.
Two Experienced Showrunners Join Forces
Eric Heisserer brings a strong track record to the Dungeon Crawler Carl TV series. He earned an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival. He also wrote the hit Netflix film Bird Box starring Sandra Bullock. On the television side, Heisserer created and served as showrunner for Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.
Chris Yost is no stranger to big franchises either. He has worked on several Marvel Cinematic Universe films, including Thor, Iron Man 2, The Avengers, and Captain America: The First Avenger. He also wrote for The Mandalorian and worked on multiple Star Wars projects. Yost was previously announced as the writer for the Dungeon Crawler Carl adaptation.
Both Yost and Heisserer will also serve as executive producers on the series.
What Is Dungeon Crawler Carl About?
For those who haven’t read the books, here is the official logline for the Dungeon Crawler Carl TV series:
“An alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and any survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show. Sounds bad, right? Now try doing it with bare feet and a stuck-up, self-centered, tiara-wearing talking cat as your partner. Welcome to Dungeon Crawler World: Earth, where the apocalypse will be televised … and Coast Guard vet Carl finds himself stuck with his ex-girlfriend’s award-winning show cat, Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, as they try to survive the end of the world, fighting monsters, aliens, an insane A.I. and even other survivors … all for the sake of good TV. Survival is optional. Entertainment is not.”
The story follows a Coast Guard veteran named Carl and his ex-girlfriend’s pampered show cat, Princess Donut. After an alien invasion, they are forced to compete in a deadly reality show called Dungeon Crawler World: Earth. Princess Donut gains the ability to speak and shoot magic missiles from her eyes. Players, known as “crawlers,” must survive an 18-level dungeon filled with monsters.
First Casting Announced at Comic-Con
The Dungeon Crawler Carl TV series already has its first cast member. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, author Matt Dinniman announced that audiobook narrator Jeff Hays will play Princess Donut.
Hays is the voice behind all eight of the currently released Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks. The audiobook series has drawn more than 140 million listening hours on Audible.
Dinniman explained why Hays was the right choice for the role:
“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.”
Hays is the only cast member announced so far. The role of Carl has not yet been revealed.
Related:
A Massive Book Series With a Dedicated Fan Base
The Dungeon Crawler Carl book series started in 2020 when Dinniman self-published the first book on online platform Royal Road. The series became so popular that Penguin Random House purchased the print rights for its Ace Books division in 2024.
The series currently has eight books out of a total of 10 planned novels. Three books in the series rank among the New York Times top 15 Hardcover Fiction best-sellers.
Seth MacFarlane’s production company Fuzzy Door is behind the series, along with Universal Global Television. MacFarlane, Erica Huggins, and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald will executive produce alongside Yost and Heisserer. Dinniman serves as a co-executive producer.
The project was originally acquired by Universal International Studios in early 2025. Peacock gave the series a straight-to-series order in June 2026. Fans are eagerly waiting for more casting news and a release date.
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