Published Oct 17, 2026, 9:01 AM EDT
Dani Kessel Odom (they/them) is an autistic lead writer and TV critic who covers sci-fi shows like Doctor Who and Pluribus, fantasy shows like The Magicians and Percy Jackson, and horror of all kinds. They also cover Marvel and DC TV shows and movies, with a robust knowledge of comic books. Their TV reviews can be found on Rotten Tomatoes.
Dani is also part of ScreenRant's books team, using their fiction writing and literature studies as the backbone for their book analyses.
They have covered events, such as the Denver Fan Expo. Professionals in the field, such as Damien Leone and Lucy Hale, have shared their articles. Their review of Ponies was quoted in the show's TV trailer.
In university, they majored in English Writing with a minor in psychology. They have always had a passion for analyzing TV and movies, even taking filmography and scriptwriting classes in university. They also studied and participated in onstage and onscreen acting extensively from the ages of 7 to 18.
Aside from working at Screen Rant, Dani has worked as a freelance editor and writer over the past decade, often in a ghostwriting capacity.
As the Dungeon Crawler Carl show moves forward, it can look to Game of Thrones for a solution to one major problem. Peacock doesn’t need a 1-to-1 translation for the Dungeon Crawler Carl TV show to be great. A lot can change in the Dungeon Crawler Carl live-action show without it losing its essence. However, as Matt Dinnamin pointed out, two big things need to be preserved. The first is the tone. We can’t know this far in advance whether it’ll successfully capture the absurdism and dark humor. However, I have faith, since Dinnamin is a co-executive producer on the TV show.
The second big thing is the main characters. They’re off to a good start with casting. The production team picked Jeff Hays as Princess Donut the Queen Anne Chonk. I never thought they’d bring on the audiobook narrator, but it's absolutely perfect. Now, they’ll have to tackle Carl’s casting. Matt Dinnamin provided a DCC casting update, stating, “Carl has not been cast. We don’t have a specific answer. I don’t even think auditions have begun yet.” He emphasized the importance of choosing someone who can show both the goofier and scarier sides.
In fandom spaces, I’ve seen others talking about who they want to play Carl. Folks have suggested some pretty great options. However, Game of Thrones has already provided the answer to Dungeon Crawler Carl’s Carl issue, and it requires a leap of faith.
DCC Needs To Cast An Unknown Actor As Carl Like Game Of Thrones Did With Jon Snow
Dungeon Crawler Carl could cast a big-name actor as Carl, and the star power could help the show. Folks will be more likely to tune in if they like the actor. However, I think casting a known actor would be a huge, huge mistake because of the strings attached. Luckily, Game of Thrones took a big risk the DCC TV show needs to emulate: cast an unknown actor.
Kit Harington's first major TV role was Jon Snow in Game of Thrones. He didn’t have a hard time signing a six-season contract because he didn’t have to consider other on-screen roles he was actively involved in. Plus, the audience could see the character, not the celebrity persona or his previous roles. These benefits will matter even more with Dungeon Crawler Carl.
If every Dungeon Crawler Carl book becomes 1 season, that's 10 seasons. I doubt any actor would sign 10 seasons all at once, since that’s not standard practice. However, five to seven seasons is pretty typical for a TV show lead. On top of that, Carl has a very specific personality, which needs to be just right. If they cast a big star as the titular main character, they’ll have to worry about how the actor’s typecasting and past roles influence the perception of Carl.
Ultimately, it’s better to choose a talented newer actor who proves themselves capable throughout the audition process. They can even look at folks with drama school training and theater experience, like Harington. In that case, they’ll have a point of reference for execution.
An A-List Actor Playing Carl In Peacock's Dungeon Crawler Carl Could Get The Show Canceled
Credit: Simon & SchusterIn an ideal world, art would be made for the sake of art, but late-stage capitalism means finances influence whether a show continues or gets canceled, whether we like it or not. Dungeon Crawler Carl will already need a higher budget because of the sci-fi and fantasy elements. They’ll have to bring many non-human characters to life, and most scenes will, at the very least, need a CGI talking cat. It's a huge investment.
Dungeon Crawler Carl’s success as a book series might suggest that the show will do well, but that’s not a guarantee. Peacock isn’t one of the bigger streaming companies, and plenty of book-to-TV adaptations based on popular books have failed. Shadow & Bone, The Shannara Chronicles, and Kindred all got canceled too soon. What’s more, many people don’t prioritize watching shows as they release weekly, which is a metric streamers often track.
If Dungeon Crawler Carl isn’t a smash hit right off the bat, the show's high budget will come into play. Peacock may be less likely to renew the show, knowing it has to pay an A-list actor every season. It could, however, get some grace if the cost isn’t so high. Ultimately, all things considered, Dungeon Crawler Carl is best off finding someone fresh who can play both the silly and scary sides of Carl.
Network Peacock
Writers Chris Yost
English (US) ·