Universal International Studios Buys Matt Dinniman’s ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ With Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door & Chris Yost Attached
EXCLUSIVE: Universal International Studios and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door are set to develop a TV adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s novel Dungeon Crawler Carl. Chris Yost, best known for writing Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and Disney+’s The Mandalorian, is set to adapt the book.
UIS, which is part of Universal Studio Group, grabbed the rights to the novel in what’s described as a “highly competitive” situation, with USG’s Creative Acquisitions and IP Management team playing a key role in the deal.
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Dinniman’s indie novel Dungeon Crawler Carl has sold more than a million copies, initially having been self-published as an e-book and audiobook. Five sequels have followed, and Dinniman has raised major sums on Kickstarter to publish special editions. He recently signed a publishing deal with Penguin Random House and will a hardcover version of the book will release August 27.
The novel is set in a world where an alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity and survivors are forced to fight for their lives on a sadistic intergalactic game show. Coast Guard vet Carl finds himself paired with his ex-girlfriend’s stuck-up, tiara-wearing 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 AI and even other survivors.
For MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door, the project joins a slate also including Peacock’s Ted, an adaptation of graphic novel series The Shrouded College and a revival of Herman Wouk’s classic American war novels The Winds of War, both of which are also for Universal. The company has a multiyear deal with Universal, through which comedy Ted was launched in January.
“I’m excited to share this crazy story with a much wider audience,” said Dinniman. “I think it’s found a great home at Fuzzy Door and Universal International Studios.”
Kelsey Balance, SVP Global Scripted Series at UIS, said Dinniman was “a world builder with a truly original voice.”
“Dungeon Crawler Carl has captured the enthusiasm of fans across the world,” she added. “We cannot wait to dive into this world with Matt, our partners at Fuzzy Door and the brilliant Chris Yost to bring this universe to the screen.”
“Matt captures genre bending at its best with his laugh-out-loud and emotionally gut-wrenching characters,” added Fuzzy Door President Erica Huggins. “That, coupled with the semi-grounded but unique sci-fi world Dungeon Crawler Carl takes place in, makes for an ideal Fuzzy Door project.”
Dinniman — a writer, artist and musician (well, he’s a bass player) — has authored several books. He is represented by WME, Seth Fishman at The Gernert Company and Matthew Sugarman.
Yost’s credits also include a live-action adaptation of Cowboy Bebop for Netflix. He also worked on Seth Rogen’s Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and wrote the feature adaptation of How to Steal a Planet for Confluential and Justin Simien. He is represented by Adam Levine at Verve, Ava Jamshidi at Industry Entertainment and Lon Sorensen at Sloane Offer Weber and Dern.
Fuzzy Door is represented by WME and Jackoway Austen.
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