Jeff Hays cast as Princess Donut in Dungeon Crawler Carl
Audiobook star Jeff Hays will voice Princess Donut in Peacock’s live-action “Dungeon Crawler Carl,” the first casting since the series order. The Jeff Hays Princess Donut reveal landed Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con, locking in the cat fans already hear on Audible.
Peacock’s adaptation of Matt Dinniman’s LitRPG bestsellers — from Seth MacFarlane’s Fuzzy Door and Universal Global Television — has cast Hays as the voice of the tiara-wearing talking cat. The celebrity breaking news broke during Penguin Random House’s “Spotlight on Matt Dinniman” panel, Variety reports.
Key Takeaways
- Jeff Hays will voice Princess Donut in Peacock’s “Dungeon Crawler Carl” TV series.
- Casting was revealed Thursday at San Diego Comic-Con on a Matt Dinniman spotlight panel.
- Hays narrates and produces the audiobooks and already performs Donut’s voice.
- Chris Yost writes and showruns; Fuzzy Door and Universal Global Television produce.
- The books have sold more than 14 million copies; Audible editions top 140 million listening hours.
Who is Jeff Hays and why does this casting matter?
Hays is the narrator and producer behind all eight currently released “Dungeon Crawler Carl” audiobooks. He voices every character, including Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk, so many listeners already treat his take as definitive.
Keeping that performance in the live-action series gives crawlers continuity while other roles remain open. Variety says it is the first official casting since Peacock ordered the show last month. Actor Seth Green has publicly expressed interest in joining as well.
What is Princess Donut’s role in the story?
Donut is Carl’s partner in the deadly televised dungeon. She belonged to his ex-girlfriend Beatrice and becomes a stuck-up, self-centered talking show cat once survivors are forced underground into the game.
An alien invasion has wiped out most of humanity. Coast Guard vet Carl must fight monsters, aliens, an insane A.I., and other survivors for the sake of good TV. Deadline also notes Donut can shoot lasers from her eyes in the subterranean levels.
Who is behind Peacock’s Dungeon Crawler Carl series?
Chris Yost is writer and showrunner. He executive produces with MacFarlane, Erica Huggins, and Rachel Hargreaves-Heald for Fuzzy Door. Author Matt Dinniman is a co-executive producer on the adaptation.
Peacock ordered the series in June. Eight of 10 planned novels are out, with more than 14 million copies sold across formats and more than 140 million Audible listening hours for Hays’s narration. Hays is repped by Matthew N. Sugarman at Weintraub Tobin.