Peacock has cast audiobook narrator Jeff Hays to voice Princess Donut in the live-action adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s Dungeon Crawler Carl. The announcement occurred on Thursday during a San Diego Comic-Con panel, marking the first official casting for the series produced by Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door and Universal Global Television. Hays, who is represented by Matthew N. Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin, appeared as a surprise guest during the Penguin Random House Spotlight on Matt Dinniman
panel alongside author and co-executive producer Matt Dinniman and series writer and executive producer Chris Yost.
For the fanbase of the LitRPG novels, the casting is a direct nod to the audio experience. Hays has served as the narrator and producer behind all eight of the currently released books in the series, voicing every “DCC” character in the audiobook versions. These audiobooks have accumulated over 140 million listening hours on Audible. By bringing Hays on to voice Princess Donut—the tiara-wearing, talking cat who can shoot lasers from her eyes and who belonged to the protagonist Carl’s ex-girlfriend, Beatrice—the production is leaning into the specific sonic identity that helped propel the books to international success.
Production Leadership and the Live-Action Pivot
The series is being steered by writer and executive producer Chris Yost, who is also a film, TV and comic book writer. Yost is producing alongside Seth MacFarlane, Erica Huggins, and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald for Fuzzy Door, while author Matt Dinniman serves as a co-executive producer. Peacock placed a series order for Dungeon Crawler Carl in June. The project is a collaboration between Universal Global Television and Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door Productions, both of which hold the rights to Dinniman’s book series.
The World of Dungeon Crawler World: Earth
The plot centers on an alien invasion that has wiped out most of humanity, forcing survivors underground into a subterranean sci-fi fantasy dungeon. This environment serves as a sadistic intergalactic game show where “Crawlers” must fight for their lives in front of a viewing audience spanning the universe. The story follows Carl, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, who is paired with Princess Donut, his ex-girlfriend’s cat who acquires the ability to speak when they become part of the survival game.
The scale of the intellectual property provides a significant foundation for the streaming service. The book series has sold over 14 million copies across all formats and spent more than 115 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Since the initial book release date of September 2, 2020, eight books have been released, with Dinniman planning to finish the series in ten.
Casting Gaps and Fan Aspirations
Despite the confirmation of Hays, the role of Carl remains vacant. This has sparked a wave of fan-casting and industry speculation.
The desire to join the production has already reached the talent level. Actor Seth Green has publicly thrown his hat in the dungeon to join, too. Similarly, members of the Critical Role community have voiced their aspirations. During a Dicey Questions
round at a Collider Ladies Night live show at the Dynasty Typewriter in Los Angeles, Critical Role’s Laura Bailey, Marisha Ray, and Ashley Johnson were challenged to cast the series.
Expanding the Franchise Beyond the Screen
The TV series is part of a broader expansion of the Dungeon Crawler Carl brand. This TTRPG project has been described as very successful.
This multi-pronged approach—simultaneously targeting the streaming market, the gaming community, and the established audiobook audience—suggests that Peacock and Fuzzy Door are treating the property as a cornerstone franchise rather than a standalone adaptation. With the voice of the series’ most iconic animal character now locked in, the production’s primary hurdle remains finding a lead actor who can embody the nature of Carl.
