Donald Glover to Star in, Write and Direct Netflix’s Live-Action PUBG Series

Netflix is developing a live-action series based on PUBG: Battlegrounds, with Donald Glover attached to star, write, direct and executive produce, according to Netflix and the game’s publisher, Krafton. His brother and longtime collaborator Stephen Glover will also write and executive produce, per Variety and TheWrap.

The Glover brothers previously worked together on Atlanta, the FX series Donald created and starred in, and on Mr. & Mrs. Smith, TheWrap notes. The remaining executive producers are Michael Schaefer for NEON TV, Fam Udeorji for Gilga, and Taeseok Jang and Sujin Lee for LV3H, Krafton’s entertainment arm, which is involved in development and production, per What’s on Netflix.

Deadline reports the project grew out of a first-look deal between Netflix and Krafton and came together after lengthy negotiations, with Netflix bringing Glover on board. Comic Basics describes it as Glover’s first work for the streamer.

A Game With No Story to Adapt

PUBG launched in 2017 as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and helped popularize the battle royale format, in which up to 100 players drop onto an island and scavenge for weapons until one survivor remains. Game Developer reports it sold more than 75 million copies before going free-to-play, and Krafton says the franchise holds seven Guinness World Records.

That success comes without a narrative. As Variety points out, the game has no plot, so the writers will have to build the series’ story, characters and tone from scratch. Neither Netflix nor Krafton has shared any plot details.

What Is Still Unknown

The series is in development rather than greenlit for production. No cast beyond Glover, release date or format details have been announced, and What’s on Netflix reports the scripts have not yet been written. The outlet does not expect the show to reach the service before 2028 at the earliest.

This is not the first time PUBG and Netflix have been linked. In July 2021, Krafton announced an animated project with Castlevania producer Adi Shankar that was widely reported to be bound for the service. It has gone quiet since, and the new announcement does not mention it, per What’s on Netflix. GameSpot reports Krafton views PUBG as a connected universe rather than a single game.

Glover Joins a Crowded Netflix Game Slate

Glover, whose Atlanta work earned him two Emmys and two Golden Globes, also appeared in Community, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Spider-Man: Homecoming, and voiced Yoshi in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, per Comic Basics and Gizmodo.

The series joins a long list of Netflix game adaptations. According to What’s on Netflix, a live-action Assassin’s Creed series wrapped filming this month, David Leitch’s Gears of War film is still being scripted, and animated series based on Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering and Clash of Clans are in production. The streamer’s earlier live-action attempt, the 2022 Resident Evil series, was canceled after one season, the outlet adds.

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