SDCC 2024: Critical Role Cast Talks Mighty Nein, Downfall, & The Legend Of Vox Machina Season 3

Summary Critical Role has evolved from a group of friends playing D&D to a massive entertainment empire.

After releasing an animated series, the cast has also launched the Beacon platform and continues to expand their projects.

They have exciting plans for the future, including potential new series and collaborations.

Critical Role began as a group of "nerdy ass voice actor" friends sitting around a table playing Dungeons & Dragons together once a week and has grown into an entertainment empire. Critical Role is in the heat of its third campaign going into the 101st episode and has expanded into novels, graphic novels, and so much more. Critical Role has also expanded through countless other companies under their umbrella, including Darrington Press, their game publishing company, Metapigeon LLC, their production company, and Scanlan Shorthalt Music, their record label.

They have also launched two animated series adapting their first two campaigns, with The Legend of Vox Machina going into the third season in October and Mighty Nein on the horizon as well. Earlier this year, Critical Role launched Beacon, their own platform for their series, which includes even more content for members, including Critical Role Cool Down and instant access to VOD of all episodes. Next year will be the tenth anniversary of Critical Role, and they have teased exciting things to come.

While at San Diego Comic-Con, Screen Rant spoke with the cast of Critical Role. Travis Willingham shared how Mighty Nein is influenced by session zero and the Mighty Nein Origins graphic novels and Laura Bailey teased how the cast reacted to certain moments of The Legend of Vox Machina season 3. Ashley Johnson reflected on playing the Everlight in Downfall while Liam O'Brien and Matt Mercer discussed the possibility of another Calamity set series. Marisha Ray also spoke about Beacon and the future of Critical Role.

Ashely Johnson "Discovered A Lot About The Everlight" With Downfall

I'm actually going to start with a question for Ashley about Downfall. I love that you played the Everlight. What I'm curious about is how you approach playing the Everlight with your knowledge of her as playing Pike and then did having that experience as the Everlight change your perception of Pike's journey with the Everlight?

Ashley Johnson: Yes, yes and yes. I think we've seen through Campaign One and then also with the animated series of the Everlight is, I don't know. I mean, she's the goddess of redemption and she's kind and she wants to support her followers and be there for them. I think you see that sort of in the animated series with Pike of like, Well, you got to make your own choices. I'm not going to tell you what to do. I think playing through Downfall, I mean, yeah, I discovered a lot about the Everlight, and I wish we had more time. I feel like when we would get to the later episodes each time playing through any character, you start to get to know them a little bit better. But I really wanted to have that connection of through the very first game that I ever played was Pike. It just came full circle and it was really cool. But yeah, it's been fun.

The Mighty Nein Are "Not A Group Of Heroes. They Are Deeply Conflicted Individuals With Some Crazy Stories"

Travis, you said with Mighty Nein, we're going to be starting back before we see them meet. And in the animatic it looks like we get some insight into session zero stuff. What inspired you guys to do that with both Legend of Vox Machina and Mighty Nein? And will some of the Mighty Nein Origins comics come into play on screen?

Travis Willingham: Ooh, good question. I think for Legend of Vox Machina, we knew we had a limited amount of runway with those first two seasons. So we wanted to have them all together, immediately get them in the trouble, and we were off to the races. With Mighty Nein, we are taking a little bit more of a chance, more session zero territory, but they're also not a group of heroes. They are deeply conflicted individuals with some crazy stories. They don't even really mesh that well in the very beginning. So we wanted to take advantage of that in the approach. So whether the Origin comics come into it, probably, I think the thing that we're really excited about with these two series is it builds a platform in which we can take any campaign, 1, 2, 3, any of the miniseries that we've hit, one shots, whatever it is, and find a way to cleverly weave it back into these projects so that if you catch one of them, a one shot, an animated series, if you see a comic book, you're incentivized to come back in and get your bite at the bigger lore apple. So that's what we're excited about the most.

The Critical Role Cast Jokes About Filming Each Other While Recording "Scenes That Are Maybe A Little Intense"

Laura, you said you were very excited to explore the relationships this season of Legend of Machina. What has it been like to revisit these relationships years later in a scripted work versus when they first came about organically?

Laura Bailey: I honestly think there's far less stress when it's scripted. That work's been done for you, for us. We did it already, but also it is embarrassing in a different way. So when you're making it up on the spot and you're like, Oh my God, I'm going to go, am I going to try it for this kiss right now? There's stress and you really feel that anxiety of what if the person doesn't reciprocate? And then in the recording sessions doing all of those scenes that are maybe a little intense and everybody in the room is just staring at you while you record it. It's good times. Marisha Ray: Make the noise. Laura Bailey: No, not right now. Travis Willingham: We could be professionals and avert our eyes. We don't. Laura Bailey: No, everybody, we stare and we bring out the cameras so that we can relive it over and over. Liam O'Brien: Anytime we know someone is doing something that they are embarrassed about, we love just- Laura Bailey: Filming it Matt Mercer: Like good friends.

Matt Mercer & Liam O'Brien On Potentially Playing A Calamity Campaign GM'd By Brennan Lee Mulligan

Of course you have to! Matt and Liam, when I was talking to Brennan about Downfall, he said he would like to kind of round out the Calamity trilogy with a Divergence series, and he wants you guys in it, since you guys haven't been in one of the Calamity series yet. Would you want to do that? And is there another era that you'd like to be in as a player?

Matt Mercer: I mean, I would love that. It's been fun because collaborating with him on building out both Calamity and Downfall has been such a wonderful experience. I love collaboration and the Dungeon Master seat can be very lonely at times when you're the storyteller and he's such an incredible mind and a person to collaborate with. It's been fun. And now that he's done it enough, I would feel comfortable letting him kind of do his thing with a third series. So yeah, I would love to play in a world like that. Liam O'Brien: I mean, I would love to play with Brennan. His fascinating brain and we like bringing guests to the table. Other players, other people, because we like playing with friends. I do have an idea, I've had it since the first one came about, but I would never have known that the second installment of Calamity was going to be what it was. So who knows if my idea will even gel with what the next installment might be. But yeah, I've got something in my brain. We'll see.

Marish Ray Talks Beacon: "We Can Go Bigger And Better With It"

Marisha, I've loved the experimental things you've been able to do with Beacon. The Candela Obscura live show is amazing. I'm excited to see how you guys are continuing the world of Midst and that I'm absolutely loving Re-Slayer's Take where we have new players coming into this world. What's been the most exciting thing about getting to build out not only Exandria, but Critical Role through Beacon?

Marisha Ray: Yeah, I mean, it's been great. Beacon really does give us an opportunity to be able to pump even more resources into this content, be experimental, and show these kind of wide swings that we are taking with some of the content and the approach to our core, most dedicated fan base first, see how they react. We can, it kind of removes a little bit of a barrier to our audience so that we can have a closer connection to them and get direct feedback from them as well. That's not like... Matt Mercer: Scanning YouTube comments. Marisha Ray: Scanning YouTube comments. Yeah, that's it. I was trying to be more hyperbolic with it and I don't need to be. So yeah, they really do give us an opportunity to be experimental, kind of be off the cuff, bring in new talent and let them stretch their legs. Then we can always take it and whatever works, we can go bigger and better with it. Yeah, there's going to be some fun stuff coming, but I'm glad you're liking it. Thanks Caitlin. Liam O'Brien: As a side note, super excited for people to join us in the world Midst again for Moonward. Because it was a uniquely good time at the table. Marisha Ray: Yeah. Liam O'Brien: I don't think people know what to expect from it. Yeah, it's pretty great.

About Critical Role

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What began in 2012 as a bunch of friends playing RPGs in each other's living rooms has evolved into a multi-platform entertainment sensation. Now in its third campaign storyline, the show features seven popular voiceover actors diving into epic adventures, led by veteran game master Matthew Mercer.

Check out our other Critical Role interviews.

New episodes of Critical Role stream on Twitch, YouTube, and Beacon every Thursday.

Source: Screen Rant Plus

Critical Role Livestreamed weekly on Twitch since 2015, Critical Role brings together a group of professional voice actors as they play through a series of elaborate Dungeons and Dragons campaigns. Originally produced by Geek & Sundry, the series garnered a large and devoted fanbase during the first campaign, allowing the cast to create their own company in 2018. Matthew Mercer heads each campaign as Dungeon Master, with a cast that includes Ashley Johnson, Travis Willingham, Laura Bailey, Liam O'Brien, Taliesin Jaffe, and Marisha Ray. Cast Matthew Mercer , Sam Riegel , travis willingham , Laura Bailey , marisha ray , Orion Acaba , Taliesin Jaffe , Liam O'Brien , Ashley Johnson Release Date March 12, 2015 Seasons 3 Network YouTube TV Streaming Service(s) YouTube , Twitch Writers Sam Riegel Directors marisha ray Showrunner Brandon Auman Expand

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