Today, it was revealed that USA Network has given a TV pilot order to Masters of Doom, a drama based on David Kushner’s non-fiction book that detailed the development of DOOM and dove into the lives of its creators. The pilot will be produced by James and Dave Franco’s Ramona Films, The Gotham Group, and UCP. Further, it’s being envisioned as an anthology series.
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“Masters of Doom is the amazing true story of the Lennon and McCartney of video games: John Carmack and John Romero. Together, they ruled big business,” reads a plot synopsis. “They transformed popular culture. And they provoked a national controversy. More than anything, they lived a unique and rollicking American Dream, escaping the broken homes of their youth to co-create the most notoriously successful game franchises in history—Doom and Quake—until the games they made tore them apart.”
The TV pilot is being written by WGA Award winner Tom Bissel (Gears of War, Uncharted, Battlefield). Meanwhile, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson and Jeremy Bell are also signed on as executive producers, along with James Franco, Dave Franco, Vince Jolivette and Elizabeth Haggard of Ramona Films. Kushner, the writer of the novel, has also been brought onto the project as a contributing writer.
In addition to having his hands in the writing of many video game series, Bissell is the author of Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. He also co-authored best-seller The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside the Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made.
According to USA Network — who you may know from Mr. Robot — Masters of Doom falls in the companies’ “heroes, rebels & icons” branding, which focuses on big stories about big American characters.
There’s no word of when we can expect to hear or see more of the TV series, but if the pilot is just being ordered now, it may be awhile.
Anyway, as always, feel free to leave a comment or two with your thoughts our let me know over on Twitter @Tyler_Fischer_. Any interest in this? Do you think James Franco is the right fit for the TV adaptation?
Thanks, Deadline.
