Like a high-level creature ripped from the pages of the Player’s Handbook, the cultural juggernaut that is Critical Role seemingly cannot be stopped. Ten years into the reign of the Dungeons & Dragons troupe turned multimedia savants, Critical Role isn’t just content with the start of their biggest campaign, launching their own streaming service, or even working on video games — there’s always room for more.
Premiering on Nov. 19, just a little over a month after their next actual play campaign begins, The Mighty Nein will be the second animated series from Critical Role and Amazon MGM Studios, following three seasons of The Legend of Vox Machina. While their first show (aptly) adapted their first livestreamed campaign, The Mighty Nein jumps ahead 20 years from what will eventually be the end of the freshman series to tell a different tale in Exandrian history.
Each of the core cast members returns to the roles that they originated in the livestreamed tabletop series (which ran from 2018 to 2021): Travis Willingham as the half-orc warlock Fjord Stone; Marisha Ray as the human monk Beauregard Lionett; Taliesin Jaffe as the tiefling-like blood hunter Mollymauk Tealeaf; Ashley Johnson as the aasimar barbarian Yasha Nydoorin; Sam Riegel as the goblin rogue Nott the Brave; Liam O’Brien as the human wizard Caleb Widogast; and Laura Bailey as the horned cleric Jester Lavorre. Also returning is campaign two’s chief Dungeon Master, Matthew Mercer, albeit in various assorted bit parts.
But adapting even a fraction of the 141-episode, 600-hour tabletop series is no small feat. Rolling Stone recently spoke with executive producers Travis Willingham, Sam Riegel, and Tasha Huo about how they reimagined the introduction of The Mighty Nein’s heroes for a new take, as well as an exclusive first look at many of the supporting characters played by guest stars like Mark Strong, Alan Cumming, and — somehow — Tim McGraw.
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Differentiating from Vox Machina
One of the things that’s most notable about Critical Role’s original three campaigns is that, although they all share a continuity, they feel very different. Campaign one followed the exploits of Vox Machina, and followed many linear aspects of The Lord of the Rings-style fantasy tropes. By comparison, campaign two felt more scattered and improvisational (befitting a D&D game).
Jester Lavorre (voiced by Laura Bailey) and Fjord Stone (voiced by Travis Willingham)
Amazon MGM Studios
The two animated series will also share a similar contrast in tone, which will be evident from the onset. For starters, each episode is longer — running over 40 minutes, more akin to the length of a drama than an animated comedy. According to the EPs, that’s intentional.
“Vox Machina is such a fun romp. You start with a group of characters that are together, and you clearly see how different they are, but they’re all working as a team,” Willingham says. “They have a shared goal. And immediately, in The Mighty Nein, it was important to us to show not just the breadth of Exandria, [but] also show how dangerous it is — how dark and gritty it can be.”
Riegel agrees, noting that the show doesn’t just settle into the tone of a typical animated series, in Critical Role’s style or otherwise. “I feel like The Legend of Vox Machina is a fun, action-packed animated series, and this show [is] a gripping, gritty action drama, hourlong television series that happens to be animated,” he adds.
Liam O’Brien as Caleb Widogast
Amazon MGM Studios
One major change is how the show will dole out introductions for each of its main characters. Rather than kicking off as a team, early episodes will tease out their backstories and individual motivations before uniting the Nein.
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“We always knew that these characters, [their] past really shaped them,” Willingham says. “They all have traumatic pasts or have done questionable things, have big regrets in their past. One of the things that we tasked ourselves with is the knowledge that we use a ton of flashbacks in The Legend of Vox Machina. We wanted to try and minimize that just to see if we could from the start, but that also means teeing up the characters from a position that predates anything that was seen in the livestream.”
While it might seem obvious to start an ensemble show with an old-fashioned arc of getting the team together, the idea is in some way antithetical to how the series’ tabletop source material operates.
Beau Lionett (voiced by Marisha Ray), Nott the Brave (voiced by Sam Riegel), and Mollymauk Tealeaf (voiced by Taliesin Jaffe)
Amazon MGM Studios
“I do remember that conversation that we had in the writers’ room, because [if] you’ve ever played D&D, you start in a tavern. You’re all strangers, but somehow you just start playing together, because you have to,” Huo says. “That’s how the game works. But in the show, [none] of these characters, given where they came from, would actually trust each other enough to go on a mission together in episode one. [Why] they become a team is equally as important as the fact that they are a team as we progress into the show.”
Role call
But it’s not just the primaries and their backstory that needs to be adjusted; each of the game’s many NPCs must now be embodied differently as well. As Riegel points out, in the actual play sessions, all of the NPCs are controlled and voiced by DM, Matt Mercer. Now, things are very different.
“I was the one where I was like, ‘Well, they all have to sound like Matt Mercer, right?’ Because that’s what’s in my head, and Sam’s like, ‘No, Tasha, they can be other people,” Huo says. “And then you hear these new people step into those roles, and not only do they honor what Matt did, but God, they plus it. I’m so glad Sam convinced me to not just have Matt do everything.” (“Matt still does plenty,” Sam assures.)
Although fans grow deeply attached to the Mighty Nein over the course of their yearslong journey, the supporting roster of NPCs play a huge role is fleshing out the world — often becoming favorites themselves. For the new hires taking over the many faces of Matt Mercer in the adaptation, the array of talent on display is mind-boggling, encompassing Broadway stars, country music legends, and not one, but three Disney princesses.
Ming-Na Wen’s character, Dairon
Amazon MGM Studios
One of the first key players introduced is Dairon, a shadowy monk known as an Expositor voiced in the series by Ming-Na Wen (Mulan; The Mandalorian). (That’s Disney princess number one, for those keeping count.)
“Ming-Na plays Dairon, who is Beau’s super-secret spy handler; not boss per se, but a superior officer in the Cobalt Soul,” Riegel says. “They sort of collaborate on a project to root out the source of the corruption in the government and take them down. She’s a real badass, but in real life and [in] her character.”
Mark Strong as Trent Ikithon
Amazon MGM Studios
Part of that corruption stems from the season’s main villain, Trent Ikithon, portrayed by English actor Mark Strong (the Kingsman series; Nine Perfect Strangers). The Archmage of Civil Influence for the magical organization, the Cerberus Assemly, Ikithon also has a deep personal connection to Liam O’Brien’s character Caleb. Secretly, he’s the head of a team of elite wizard assassins that operate under the Empire.
“We definitely needed our biggest baddie, Trent Ikithon, to be someone with gravitas — someone whose voice struck fear into the hearts of men,” Willingham says. “And then, Mark Strong came along and actually said yes. There is a special and beautiful thing that happens when you have an idea for a character and how it sounds, and the amazing performance that Matt Mercer has given beforehand, and Mark Strong steps up to a microphone and absolutely decimates all of those expectations. He is, at the same time, loquacious, intelligent, and absolutely terrifying.”
Anika Noni Rose as Marion Lavorre
Amazon MGM Studios
Donning the mantle of a much more beloved character is Tony Award-winning Broadway star (and second Disney princess) Anika Noni Rose. Known for her role of Tiana in The Princess and the Frog (2009), as well as many more stage and screen roles over the years, Rose plays Marion Lavorre, the mother of Laura Bailey’s Jester, putting in double duty as a voice actor and performing vocalist in The Mighty Nein — all done in a vaguely Eastern European accent.
“We needed someone who could both act very well, perform a very strange accent that was made up by Laura Bailey, and also sing her face off. And Anika could do all of those things,” Riegel says. “I think she really pulled off the warmth of the character and also the sultriness of the character, as well.”
Rose tells Rolling Stone that while she didn’t grow up playing D&D, the opportunity to connect with Critical Role’s fandom through the familiar lens of acting is a joy. (“I get it now!” she says.)
“Marion is known as the Ruby of the Sea. She is a courtesan; she is a burlesque performer as well,” Rose explains. “She is somebody who is known not just for her beauty, but her wit and wiles. She’s sort of walking sex. I don’t think I’ve done a character similar to this before, and that’s the type of thing I love.”
Alan Cumming as Gustav Fletching
Amazon MGM Studios
Another Tony Award-winning multi-hyphenate performer to join the cast is Alan Cumming, who’s most recently taken the world by storm with his delicious persona as host of The Traitors. Cumming plays Gustav Fletching, the eccentric ringmaster of the Fletching and Moondrop Traveling Carnival of Curiosities, which existing fans know plays a huge role kickstarting the narrative of the campaign two.
“I think he was on the list for several different roles; we could have stuck him in at least three different parts, and we’re very lucky that he said yes to one of them,” Riegel says. “He’s a delight and brings a spark to the character of Gustav that you really need to fall in love with that character instantly. And how can you not fall in love with Mr. Cumming? And he brings a tiny dog to recording sessions.”
Auli’i Cravalho as Toya
Amazon MGM Studios
The third and final (for now) Disney princess to join the crew is Auliʻi Cravalho (Moana), who plays the 13-year-old performer, Toya, within the carnival. Despite her small stature, Toya is a somewhat dramatic personality, being the tamer and handler for Kylre, a huge and dangerous Devil Toad. Like Rose, Cravalho uses her powerful vocals in the series, singing to keep the beast under her charm.
“I was very happy to get [Auli’i]. I’m such a fan of hers, and she also killed it,” Huo says. “Her voice is absolutely ridiculous. She got to play a little bit of a darker character, and she got to flex that muscle, coming from a Disney background.”
Cravalho tells Rolling Stone that she’s been a fan of Critical Role for years and would love to explore more of the world beyond the animated series. “I play D&D as a Tabaxi Rogue, and I’d be honored to have a seat on the Critical Role table as a one-shot guest or anything else!”
Tim McGraw as Captain Vandran
Amazon MGM Studios
Lastly, there’s Captain Vandran, played by country music icon and actor, Tim McGraw (Yellowstone, 1883). Vandran is a key part of Willingham’s character, Fjord’s, backstory — and his unique persona demands a very specific kind of voice actor.
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“Captain Vandran is Fjord’s mentor, the biggest and most prominent father figure in his life. And canonically, had to have a really strong southern drawl to him — something so much so that Fjord will try to emulate that when he’s trying to present himself as something that is confident or strong or reliable,” Willingham says. “And so, when we were trying to think of who out there has that sort of drawl, that warm, fatherly tone, a bit of that tough love in their voice, Tim McGraw immediately came to our mind and almost ricocheted off the atmosphere, because surely, Tim McGraw won’t mess around with animation for some nerds on the internet.
Willingham adds, “He was just an absolute pleasure to work with; he had so many questions and was so interested by what we were doing, he wanted to know where the story was going. I’m from Texas as well, so we talked about horses and boots and [hats].”
