Heart of the series
For those who don’t know, “Dungeon Crawler Carl” (DCC) began as a web serial before it was published by Amazon in 2020, before growing into a New York bestselling LitRPG series. The story follows Coast Guard veteran Carl and his ex-girlfriend's cat, Princess Donut, who are thrust into an intergalactic reality show where contestants must survive a deadly multi-level dungeon while entertaining an alien audience.
They encounter goblins, lava-spitting llamas, battle royales, boss fights and a salacious AI with a foot fetish. It’s an apocalyptic comedy, but what keeps readers invested are its themes of corporate greed, resilience, trauma and the choice to show decency — and, OK, some vengeance — in the face of adversity despite overwhelming odds.
Avoiding the 'slapstick' comedy
The newly announced Peacock adaptation of DCC may not be a scene-by-scene recreation of Matt Dinniman's bestselling LitRPG series. But according to Dinniman, fans shouldn't worry about the elements that matter most: the characters.
During a San Diego Comic-Con roundtable, Dinniman and audiobook narrator Jeff Hays discussed what they hope carries over into the live-action series after Peacock greenlit the adaptation earlier this year. While some scenes will inevitably be cut — because, let’s be honest, Books 1 and 2 alone could take multiple seasons to adapt — both said preserving the story's tone and the relationship between Carl and Princess Donut is essential.
"The most untouchable element, I think, is the tone," Dinniman said. "I don't want it to turn into some slapstick comedy because if that happens, then we know we've failed."
He acknowledged that adapting the sprawling series means some scenes and storylines will change.
"Each book alone would be multiple seasons if we did everything," he said. "Some things will have to go. Some things will have to change. In the end, it doesn't matter that much as long as, again, the tone, the story stays the same.
“And I think those two characters, especially Carl and Donut, need to be as closely written to the book as possible in order for it to maintain its popularity amongst existing fans.”
Hays, who will reprise his role as Princess Donut in the television adaptation, said he hopes viewers recognize the feline's intelligence beneath her glamorous exterior.
“It's very important for them to maintain how clever she is,” Hays said. "Hopefully they don't dumb her down and make her into comic relief.”
He said Donut's emotional intelligence and strategic thinking are as important to the story as her diva personality.
Beyond the announcement made during Comic-Con, Dinniman said there are no additional updates on production.
"We don't have any information beyond what we said at the panel," he said.
There may not be much to report beyond the announcement just yet, but for longtime fans like me, hearing Dinniman talk about protecting the heart of the story is reason enough to be excited about what’s ahead.
