Bungie has hired an ex-Warner-Bros. Discovery executive for adapting its Destiny IP into different forms of media. It's no secret that Bungie is looking to expand the Destiny universe, and its latest hire from a global leader in TV and film is proof for the same.
The initial hints of Bungie’s efforts to expand Destiny beyond the video game realm came in 2021 when it had several job listings for people with experience in TV and film. Furthermore, the listing also mentioned a possible venture into comics, books, and some audio formats as well, which meant that Bungie wasn't limiting itself to a TV or film adaptation. Now, with its latest hire, it has provided further proof that the first transmedia project will most likely be a TV or movie adaptation of the Destiny IP.
Spotted by GGrecon, Gabriel VanHuss, a former Warner Bros. Discovery executive, has now joined Bungie as its Head of Linear Media for the Destiny franchise. According to VanHuss, "This new position will work with the Destiny Universe Leadership team to create strategy and execute the operations for expansion of Destiny into new media, including TV, films, books, comics, and audio formats." They also added how "Destiny has a universe worth of stories waiting to be told," and how they look forward to bringing that story to a newer, wider audience.
Before working for Warner Bros. Discovery, VanHuss worked for Crunchyroll, one of the world’s biggest Anime streaming platforms, as the Head of Content Programming. Interestingly, before buying Bungie, Sony also acquired Crunchyroll back in 2020 for $1.75 billion, which further strengthens Bungie’s position in its transmedia plunge. Sony has already mentioned that it wants to help Bungie expand the Destiny universe into movies and TV, and has made all its resources available at its disposal for achieving that.
Out of all the projects that Bungie could be working on, a Destiny animated show could be the first one on the cards, simply because of the talent it has added over that past year. For instance, Derick Tsai, the director for League of Legends animated shorts joined the team in January 2022, followed by Bridget O'Neill, another ex-Riot executive who worked on the popular Netflix show Arcane. With the success of shows like The Last of Us, The Witcher, and Arcane, fans are optimistic about a possible TV adaptation of the Destiny story, be it live-action or animated.
Source: GGRecon