James and Dave Franco are teaming up with the USA Network to produce a pilot based on Masters of Doom: How Two Guys Created an Empire and Transformed Pop Culture, a book about the origins and creation of the popular Doom series. The book, written by David Kushner, details the friendship-turned-rivalry between John Carmack and John Romero in the 1990s as they create one of the most acclaimed video game franchises of all time. The Franco brothers will serve as executive producers.
The original Doom was a massive hit that pioneered first-person shooter games with its (at the time) impressive 3D graphics, violence, and engaging gameplay. It spawned an entire franchise that is still going strong over 25 years later. In recent years, the series experienced a resurgence in popularity due to the success of its 2016 reboot and the highly anticipated upcoming entry, Doom Eternal. A new film based on the games, Doom: Annihilation, is set for a Fall 2019 digital release.
According to Variety, the pilot is expected to launch a new anthology series for USA that will focus on watershed moments in gaming history. If picked up, the first season will be based entirely on Doom, its creators, and the phenomenon they created. This follows a trend toward anthologies in the network's programming. Along with shows like Briarpatch and the upcoming season of Dirty John, the network is producing multiple anthology series that match its "We the Bold" slogan and focus on bold, sometimes darker characters that become unlikely heroes of change.
The Franco brothers will executive produce the pilot alongside Tom Bissell, who will also serve as the writer. Bissell's former credits include writing installments in the Uncharted and Battlefield video game franchises, as well as co-authoring The Disaster Artist. The latter served as the basis for the James Franco-directed film of the same name in which the brothers starred. There is no word yet on cast or potential air date.
The news of a period piece true life anthology series focused on game history is exciting, particularly because of the Franco brothers being involved. The two are known to gravitate toward projects with genuine character, and John Romero and the Doom team were known to be misfit geniuses. The premise sounds similar to the acclaimed cult classic AMC series Halt and Catch Fire. Amidst a sea of straightforward game-to-TV adaptations, seeing a series based not on the game but on the people behind the game is an intriguing take. Until there is more information on the project, Doom fans will have to wait and see whether or not it captures the revolutionary experience of shooting demons from hell with lots of big guns for the first time.
Source: Variety