Netflix is developing a live-action series based on KRAFTON's 'PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS' (hereinafter PUBG), US entertainment media outlet Deadline reported on October 29 (local time). Emmy Award winner Donald Glover will direct and star in the series. KRAFTON's media adaptation plans for PUBG, first announced in 2020, have thus taken concrete shape as a Netflix live-action series.
According to Deadline, Donald Glover will write the script and serve as executive producer alongside his brother Stephen Glover. Michael Schaefer of Neon TV, Fam Udeorji of Gilga, and Taeseok Jang (Head of PUBG IP at KRAFTON) and Sujin Lee of KRAFTON's entertainment unit LV3H are also listed as executive producers.
LV3H was launched by KRAFTON in June after rebranding its former "PUBG Entertainment" division. The name is derived from the in-game "Level 3 Helmet," commonly known as "Sam-ttuk" in Korean. PUBG Entertainment was the organization responsible for expanding the PUBG universe into various media formats, including video. KRAFTON operates the lore content franchise "PUBG Universe" and has released video content starting with the 2021 short film "Ground Zero," followed by "The Bystanders" and "Red Face".
The Glover brothers previously co-created the series "Atlanta" for the US cable network FX. Donald Glover created and starred in the show, with both brothers serving as writers and executive producers. Donald Glover won Emmy Awards for both acting and directing for his work on the series. He departed FX in 2021 to sign a major overall deal with Amazon MGM Studios, which was later converted to a first-look deal, enabling him to work with other studios as well.
KRAFTON announced plans to produce PUBG films and TV series in 2020. At Netflix, Adi Shankar, executive producer of the animated series "Castlevania," previously announced an animated PUBG series in 2021. Deadline merely noted that the animated series "was" in development at Netflix using the past tense, without disclosing its current status.
Co-producer Neon is a distributor and production company that has won two Academy Awards for Best Picture with the films "Parasite" and "Anora". At the Cannes Film Festival last May, director Cristian Mungiu's "Fjord" won the Palme d'Or, marking seven consecutive years that Neon has distributed a Palme d'Or winner. Director Bong Joon-ho's new film "Ally" is also set for release.
Meanwhile, PUBG joins Netflix's growing slate of video game adaptations currently in development. Netflix is preparing a live-action "Assassin's Creed" series and a live-action "Gears of War" film, alongside animated series based on "Minecraft," "Magic: The Gathering," and "Clash of Clans," as well as a competition show based on "Overcooked!".
