Hays Voices Princess Donut
Original Narrator Jeff Hays Returns as Princess Donut for Peacock's Live-Action Dungeon Crawler Carl
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Key Points
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Jeff Hays, the longtime audiobook narrator and producer for Dungeon Crawler Carl, has been cast to voice Princess Donut in the Peacock live‑action adaptation, continuing his central role across media with the novels’ audio series amassing over 140 million listening hours.
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Princess Donut is described in the casting announcement as the Queen Anne Chonk, a tiara-wearing cat who can speak and fire magic missiles from her eyes in the live‑action series.
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The Princess Donut casting news was revealed live at San Diego Comic-Con during Penguin Random House’s Spotlight on Matt Dinniman panel, highlighting the high-profile, cross-media rollout.
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Peacock ordered the Dungeon Crawler Carl live‑action series in June, with the show envisioned around an 18‑level World Dungeon in which Carl and Princess Donut navigate a televised apocalypse.
Peacock's live-action Dungeon Crawler Carl series has cast its first actor: Jeff Hays will voice Princess Donut, the talking cat at the heart of the show. Hollywood Reporter confirmed the news, which dropped live at San Diego Comic-Con during a panel spotlighting author Matt Dinniman.
Hays is already the voice fans know best. He narrated the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobooks on Audible, racking up over 140 million listening hours. His casting keeps a direct thread between the books and the TV adaptation, giving the franchise's massive fan base a familiar voice in a brand-new format.
Princess Donut Is No Ordinary Cat
In the show, Princess Donut is described as the Queen Anne Chonk. She wears a tiara and can speak. She can also fire magic missiles from her eyes. ComicBook called her the best character in the series. Her powers make her a full partner to the show's hero, Carl, not just a sidekick.
The series follows Carl, a man who survives an apocalypse only to find himself trapped in a deadly televised dungeon. He navigates it with his ex-girlfriend's cat — Princess Donut. The dungeon spans 18 levels and is broadcast like a game show to an alien audience. The stakes are life and death.
Jeff Hays Brings 140 Million Listening Hours to TV
Hays is not just a narrator. He is also a producer on the Dungeon Crawler Carl audiobook series. His work helped turn the books into a phenomenon. Over 140 million listening hours on Audible is a massive number — it puts the series among the most-consumed audiobooks in the genre, according to Head Topics.
Casting Hays in the TV role is a direct nod to that fan base. Fans who spent hundreds of hours hearing his voice as Princess Donut will hear the same voice on screen. That kind of continuity is rare in book-to-screen adaptations and signals that the team wants to keep loyal readers close.
Seth MacFarlane and Peacock Back a High-Profile Adaptation
The show is produced by Universal Global Television and Seth MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door production company. Chris Yost serves as writer and executive producer. Matt Dinniman, the novel's author, is on board as co-executive producer. Peacock ordered the series in June, according to ScreenRant.
MacFarlane's Fuzzy Door has a track record with genre projects. Pairing that with Universal's resources gives the show real muscle behind it. Dinniman's role as co-executive producer also means the source material has a guardian in the writers' room — a detail fans often care deeply about.
Comic-Con Reveal Kicks Off a Bigger Universe Rollout
The casting news broke at Penguin Random House's Spotlight on Matt Dinniman panel at San Diego Comic-Con. Dinniman and Yost were both there to describe Dungeon Crawler World: Earth, the show's premise. The Comic-Con reveal was a deliberate move — it put the show in front of tens of thousands of fans at once, according to Head Topics.
The Dungeon Crawler Carl franchise is growing fast beyond the books. It now spans audiobooks, graphic novels, games, and other media. The TV series is the biggest piece yet. With a high-profile cast announcement already generating buzz, the show is shaping up as one of Peacock's more ambitious genre bets.
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