Donald Glover Leads Netflix’s Live-Action ‘PUBG’ Series

Donald Glover is heading into battle royale territory. Netflix is developing a live-action series based on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, better known as PUBG, with Glover set to star, direct, write and executive produce.

Donald Glover’s PUBG series brings the brothers back together

Stephen Glover, Donald’s brother and frequent creative partner, will also write and executive produce the project. The pair previously worked together on Atlanta, Swarm and Guava Island, giving the adaptation an established team before cameras begin rolling.

The producing group also includes Michael Schaefer for Neon TV, Fam Udeorji for Gilga, and Taeseok Jang and Sujin Lee for LV3H, the entertainment arm of PUBG publisher Krafton. Netflix and Krafton had already established a first-look relationship, and this project extends the game company’s effort to build stories beyond the original release.

A famous game with no obvious television plot

The creative challenge is unusually open-ended. PUBG became a defining title in the battle royale genre by dropping players onto large maps where they gather weapons, vehicles and supplies while competing to be the last survivor. That structure creates tension and spectacle, but it does not provide the fixed characters or linear plot that many game adaptations inherit.

For now, the series’ storyline, episode count, production schedule and release date have not been announced. That leaves the Glovers considerable room to decide whether the show will follow one contest, build a larger world around the matches or take another approach entirely.

Netflix keeps expanding its game-adaptation slate

The project joins a growing list of game properties at Netflix. The streamer is also developing live-action projects tied to Assassin’s Creed and Gears of War, alongside animated adaptations connected to Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering and Clash of Clans.

Glover’s involvement gives PUBG a recognizable creative voice as well as an on-screen lead. The next major questions are who will join him, what kind of story the series will tell and when Netflix expects production to start.