Jeff Hays cast in Dungeon Crawler Carl Peacock series
Peacock's live-action Dungeon Crawler Carl series has cast audiobook narrator Jeff Hays to voice Princess Donut, marking the show's first casting announcement. Hays, who narrates and produces Matt Dinniman's hit audiobooks, joins the Seth MacFarlane-backed adaptation after the reveal at San Diego Comic-Con.
The move ties the screen version of Dungeon Crawler Carl to the voice fans already know from Audible. For more entertainment and market buzz coverage, see our Fintech & Crypto Alerts hub.
Key Takeaways
- Jeff Hays will voice Princess Donut in Peacock's live-action Dungeon Crawler Carl series.
- The casting was announced on stage at San Diego Comic-Con with author Matt Dinniman and series writer Chris Yost.
- It is the first casting news since Peacock ordered the show to series in June.
- The Hays-narrated audiobooks have logged more than 140 million listening hours on Audible.
- Universal Global Television and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door are producing the adaptation.
Who is Jeff Hays in Dungeon Crawler Carl?
Jeff Hays is the narrator and producer of the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks, performing multiple character voices — including the fan-favorite talking cat Princess Donut.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Hays will carry that role into Peacock's live-action series as Donut's voice. He is represented by Matthew N. Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin.
Princess Donut belongs to Carl's ex-girlfriend and gains the ability to speak after survivors are pulled into an alien-run survival game show. She is described as a stuck-up, tiara-wearing show cat and Carl's essential partner in the dungeon.
Why does the Jeff Hays Dungeon Crawler casting matter?
Keeping Hays as Donut preserves continuity for listeners who already associate his performance with the character. The audiobooks have racked up more than 140 million listening hours on Audible, giving the adaptation a ready-made audience bridge.
Yahoo Entertainment, citing NBCUniversal, reports that Dinniman's series has sold more than 14 million copies across formats, with Ace print editions on the New York Times bestseller list for over 115 weeks. Eight books are out, with 10 planned in total.
Hays surprised fans by joining a Comic-Con conversation between Yost and Dinniman during Penguin Random House's Spotlight on Matt Dinniman panel, per Yahoo's report of the announcement.
What else is known about the Peacock series?
Peacock ordered Dungeon Crawler Carl to series in June. The logline follows Coast Guard vet Carl and Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk as they fight monsters, aliens, an insane A.I., and other survivors for televised entertainment after an alien invasion wipes out most of humanity.
Chris Yost is writing and showrunning the series. He executive produces with MacFarlane, Erica Huggins, and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald for Fuzzy Door; Dinniman is a co-executive producer.
Separately, Variety reported that Seth Green has publicly said he would "make a really good Mordecai," the mentor figure to Carl and Donut, though that interest is not a casting confirmation. Hays remains the project's first announced cast member.