Zack Stella On The Beauty Of Magic: The Gathering's New Princess Bride Secret Lair

15.11.2023 - 22:39 / screenrant.com

is receiving a new collection this month inspired by the iconic characters of. These new alternative art cards are the latest drop from Secret Lair, which has long been a source for the card game's creative spin-off collections. The set of nine cards draws from both the film and the original novel, incorporating storybook elements alongside actors like Andre the Giant and Wallace Shawn.

This year has featured a lot of delightful collaborations between the tabletop game and different IPs, from a special set to a release. This latest collection faced a unique challenge, balancing its influences from both the written word and iconic film to create something that fans of both mediums can enjoy. Each card includes unique art and quotes from, with the collection slated to release November 19.

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conducted an email interview with senior art director Zack Stella, who discussed the inspirations behind the set, balancing influences of the book and movie, and the designs he's most excited about.

Screen Rant: What was your role in the drop?

Lead art director.

When this collaboration first began, what things were most important to you regarding that you really wanted to come through in these cards?

As an '80s child, I grew up loving both the film and (nearly even more so) the The Princess Bride novel. It's filled with extremely emotive characters and immense heart, and the film in particular is incredibly quotable. We wanted to really nail the gestures and expressions of the characters in their card art and try and harness those feelings of emotional connection and nostalgia, but in a way that felt fresh and current. I wanted this set to feel like catching up with old friends again. The visual goal was a look that married the sweeping romanticism and storybook elements at the core of The Princess Bride (I framed the visual target as “Waterhouse/Maxfield Parish paintings meet 80’s novel cover”.) It had to feel lush, romantic, and above all, charming.

With both a book and movie to pull from, what was that balancing act like? Did you lean more on one than the other for inspiration?

This particular set of cards relied on the film likenesses, but we would have been doing the cards a disservice if we didn't at least nod at the novels in some way, which is where the inspiration for the stylistic art nouveau-esque framing elements came in. After all, The Princess Bride is both a book itself, and in the case of both the film and the novel, it's presented as a story within a story!

These cards do a beautiful job of capturing the storybook feel, and some are even a bit reminiscent of illuminated manuscripts. How did you work