In a first for Netflix, they are developing both an animated series and a videogame based on the popular card game Exploding Kittens. The voice cast for the series is already in place, and it is set to debut in 2023.
Veteran actor Lucy Liu and Lucifer’s Tom Ellis will be heading the voice cast, which also includes Abraham Lim (The Boys), Ally Maki (Wrecked), Mark Proksch (What We Do in the Shadows) and Sasheer Zamata (Woke). It is unclear if they will also be providing voices for the videogame, as well as the animated series, but it seems likely.
According to Deadline, Exploding Kittens follows the eternal conflict between heaven and hell as it reaches epic proportions when both God and the devil are sent to Earth — in the bodies of chunky house cats. The series will come from King of the Hill’s Mike Judge and Greg Daniels new company Bandera Entertainment. The game will launch in May and it will see players draw cards aiming to avoid the Exploding Kitten. Future cards and game mechanics will be themed around the animated series so people can play with their favourite characters.
“The co-development of a game and animated series breaks new ground for Netflix, and we couldn’t think of a better game to build a universe around than Exploding Kittens, one of the most inventive, iconic and original games of this century,” said Mike Moon, Netflix Head of Adult Animation.
It sounds as though Exploding Kittens will probably be aimed at a teen and adult market, like animated series BoJack Horseman, Bob’s Burgers, Rick & Morty, Big Mouth, and Tuca & Bertie. Judge and Daniels obviously have a lot of experience in this area with King of the Hill.
While we wait for more news on the Exploding Kittens series, check out our guide to the best Netflix series.