Larian Studios’ Baldur’s Gate 3 is making the jump to live-action, eventually. While fans have been expectedly unruly surrounding the TV show’s announcement, largely due to the fact that Larian is now involved in its development, the follow-up TV series is going ahead following the conclusion of HBO’s The Last of Us series.
Speaking to FRVR, Astarion actor Neil Newbon explained that he hopes fans give the HBO series a chance when it eventually releases. “I really hope people give them space to make the show that they want to make,” the actor said. “It’s really important that artistic endeavours are left to cook.”
“I hope that if it happened, it wouldn’t, but at the same time, you know, I’m a grown up.”
Neil Newbon on Astarion’s HBO casting
Astarion as a character has been incredibly important for Newbon. Since the game’s release, the actor has been adamant in his desire to return to the role, saying earlier this year that he would love to return “especially [in] live-action”. However, as an actor that has pushed to continue exploring new roles instead of just revisiting the past, he won’t be upset if another actor gets the chance to play Astarion in the TV show.
“I don’t have any ego about my work,” Newbon explained, explaining that while he would love to return to the role, he isn’t owed the role due to his connection with the character. “I would like to think that I would be okay if that happened. I hope that if it happened, it wouldn’t, but at the same time, you know, I’m a grown up. I’m not a teenager.”
Newbon explained that, if someone else is picked for the role of Astarion, he won’t be up in arms screaming about losing the role to someone else. “I’m a professional actor,” he laughed, “it’s kind of pathetic [to do that].”
“The bottom line for me,” he continued, “is what serves the story best, in any production in any thing. My hope is that people give them space to make [their show] because also they’re doing the Forgotten Realms thing… that’s going to be amazing as well. So, you’ve got these wonderful TV IPs based on a D&D system that I adore and love. Let them cook, man. Let them do their thing and enjoy it.”
It would be an understatement to say that Newbon’s performance of Astarion is a core part of Baldur’s Gate 3 and fans’ connection to that character. The vampiric party member is often the face of the game, and Newbon’s performance capture touches a lot more than just his own voiced character. In fact, the actor has been vocal about the burnout he experienced during his four years of working on the project.
As with any adaptation of any production, there’s always the potential of recasting, although most fans would simply like to see the actors they know return to the characters they know. At the end of the day, Newbon is correct: what is best for the Baldur’s Gate TV show? We’ll just have to wait and find out.
