Summary

• Critical Role is expanding Exandria through animation, with potential for more projects beyond The Legend of Vox Machina and Mighty Nein.
• Travis Willingham discussed future projects noting interest in Calamity, and hinting at non-CR ideas being talked about as well.
• The Calamity miniseries offers a compelling and tragic story, shedding light on Exandria's history and showcasing the potential of Critical Role's adult animation.

Critical Role continues to expand the world of Exandria through animation, with the third season of The Legend of Vox Machina and Mighty Nein both on the horizon. Their overall television and first-look film deal with Prime means many more projects could be in their future with countless one-shots and mini-series, the Bells Hells campaign, and even Candela Obscura, all offering dynamic stories that could be perfect for television series or movies. Mighty Nein will be the true test to see how Critical Role's IP performs beyond Vox Machina's story, but with the Mighty Nein reunion live show selling out Wembley last year, it seems promising that fans will tune in.

Screen Rant attended an exclusive press event at Titmouse Studios where Travis Willingham discussed The Legend of Vox Machina reflecting on their journey to get the show created. When asked about future projects, he notably mentioned Calamity which was a wildly popular miniseries set long before the events of The Legend of Vox Machina. He also hinted at non-Critical Role projects potentially in their future with Prime.

Travis Willingham: There's a bunch of ideas floating around. Downfall is amazing. Obviously, the Calamity miniseries is of great interest. And then we're also just bouncing all sorts of other ideas that are CR and non CR related and seeing where they fall. But yeah, after season one hit, They were like, Okay, yeah! This engine cranks out some good stuff.

Why A Calamity Miniseries Could Be The Perfect Next Animation Project For Critical Role

EXU: Calamity which featured Brennan Lee Mulilgan as guest Dungeon Master, gained notoriety among fans with a devastating story and compelling characters. The series explored the Ring of Brass a group of powerful, and somewhat corrupt, government officials in Avalir, one of the great floating cities of Exandria in the Age of Arcanum. While the outcome was already known because of the importance of the Calamity to Exandria's history, it shed light on elements of the cataclysmic event that had been lost to history.

Mulligan designed Critical Role's Calamity story as a disaster movie, following the heroes for only one night as they step up to try and save not only their city, but the entire world in a doomed quest. However, one of the most compelling elements of the story was how the Ring of Brass was impacted by the horrors that lay before them, having to decide whether to be selfish or make the sacrifices needed to try to mitigate the damage in some way. This could make it perfect for Critical Role's first movie or miniseries.

The imagery of Calamity is perfect for animation, although Willingham didn't explicitly mention animation in his comment. It would be the perfect opportunity to explore a new era of Exandria and show the beauty of the Age of Arcanum with magic and technology seamlessly working together to create this world. However, the horror and devastation of this fantasy apocalypse could also be perfectly captured through this medium. Calamity would also be a great way for Critical Role to push the boundaries of adult animation by showing a story of tragedy instead of leaning into the raunchy comedy that is ingrained into the dynamic of The Legend of Vox Machina. Calamity is a chance to show both the depth and breadth of Critical Role stories like never before.