Glover, who has previously led series such as “Atlanta” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” will write, direct, executive produce and star in the project based on the popular video game “PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds” (“PUBG”), which is now in development at the streamer. Krafton’s player-versus-player shooter is an early entry in the battle royale subgenre (named after Kinji Fukasaku’s 2000 Japanese film “Battle Royale”), which is also related to “Fortnite”.
Stephen Glover, Donald’s brother, who also wrote on “Atlanta” and “Mr. & Mrs. Smith”, will also serve as writer and executive producer for the series. Additional executive producers include Michael Schaefer for Neon TV; Fam Udeorji for Gilga; and Taeseok Jung and Sujin Lee for LV3H (Krafton’s entertainment unit).
It’s unclear what exactly the story of the series will be, as “PUBG” doesn’t have as straightforward a story to adapt as projects like “The Last of Us” or “Uncharted.” However, video game adaptations have seen considerable success over the years by forging their own paths.
In “Resident Evil” Zach Krieger told a unique story using established lore as the backdrop, while “A Minecraft Movie” and “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” took games with weak narratives (perhaps closer to “PUBG”) and did something completely original. Glover himself appeared as Yoshi in the “Mario” sequel, “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie”, at his own request.
“PUBG” is one of several video game projects currently on Netflix, including a live-action “Assassin’s Creed” series, a live-action “Gears of War” movie and animated shows based on “Clash of Clans,” “Magic: The Gathering” and “Minecraft.” Netflix has also already set up series based on “Cyberpunk,” “Splinter Cell” and “Devil May Cry.” All of this comes amid a boom in video game adaptations in film and television, many of which have had far more success than weaker attempts at mining gaming IP in the past.
