750 Hollywood Writers Are Fighting to Work on Dungeon Crawler Carl Adaptation

The upcoming Dungeon Crawler Carl television adaptation has apparently become one of the most sought-after writing jobs in Hollywood.

According to The Ankler, around 750 writers are competing for a chance to work on the Peacock series. However, there are only a limited number of spots available in the writers’ room.

The Ankler described Seth MacFarlane’s Dungeon Crawler Carl adaptation as one of Hollywood’s “most wanted” writing gigs. For a series that started as a self-published LitRPG novel, 750 Hollywood writers trying to get involved is another indication how quickly Dungeon Crawler Carl has grown.

Dungeon Crawler Carl is moving forward at Peacock

Peacock officially gave Dungeon Crawler Carl a straight-to-series order earlier this year.

The live-action adaptation is being produced by Universal International Studios and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions. Chris Yost will serve as the head writer. Yost’s previous credits include Thor: Ragnarok, The Mandalorian, Star Wars Rebels, and X-Men ’97.

Jeff Hays will return as Princess Donut

So far, only one major casting decision has already been announced.

Jeff Hays, who narrates the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks, will voice Princess Donut in the live-action adaptation.

Dinniman announced the casting during his San Diego Comic-Con panel in July. This makes Hays the first publicly confirmed actor attached to the series.

Hays’ involvement is a huge win for fans of the series, given how much his performance as Carl, Donut and the enormous supporting cast has become associated with the series among audiobook listeners.

Dungeon Crawler Carl has become a massive publishing hit

The competition among Hollywood writers also comes as Dungeon Crawler Carl continues to grow well beyond its original LitRPG audience.

Dinniman began publishing the story online through Royal Road in 2020. He then self-published the first novel on Amazon later that year. Penguin Random House eventually acquired the print rights for its Ace Books imprint after the series exploded in popularity.

According to PEOPLE, the series has now sold more than 14 million copies worldwide across all formats. Additionally, it has spent more than 115 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

The audiobooks have become an equally important part of that success. The Jeff Hays-narrated editions have accumulated more than 140 million listening hours.

There are still plenty of major questions surrounding the Peacock adaptation. Questions like who will play Carl, when the series will premiere and how well the increasingly complex story of Dungeon Crawler Carl will translate to a live action show.

But interest behind the scenes does not appear to be a problem.

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