Netflix is developing a live-action series based on PUBG, with Donald Glover set to write, direct and star in it. As reported by Deadline, Glover is also executive producing alongside his brother Stephen Glover, who writes on the project too. Krafton announced the series, which is at the development stage, so there’s no cast, plot or release window yet.
How the deal came together
Deadline says the project stems from a first-look deal Netflix signed with the Korean publisher, and that it came together after lengthy negotiations. Netflix then brought Glover on board. The executive producer list covers the production side: Michael Schaefer for NEON TV, Fam Udeorji for Gilga, and Taeseok Jang and Sujin Lee for Krafton’s entertainment subsidiary LV3H. Deadline adds that Schaefer is Neon’s Chief Content Officer, having joined the studio after Department M acquired a stake in it.
Glover comes with a track record the Netflix pitch will lean on. Deadline notes he and Stephen worked together on FX’s Atlanta, where Donald created and starred, both wrote and executive produced, and Donald directed. He won two Emmys for the show, one for acting and one for directing. He left FX for an exclusive Amazon MGM Studios deal in 2021, which has since become a first-look arrangement, so he’s free to work with other studios. He remains an executive producer on Amazon’s Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
What we don’t know yet
The announcement skips the questions fans will ask first. What’s on Netflix reports that no plot details, casting beyond Glover or production timeline have been revealed. The outlet’s own estimate, based on the series only now entering development, is that it won’t reach Netflix before 2028 at the earliest. That’s a projection, not a Netflix date.
The game itself is a match-based battle royale. It drops up to 100 players onto an island to fight until one survivor remains, so the writers will have to build the story themselves. Deadline says PUBG, originally titled PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has set seven Guinness World Records since its 2017 debut.
This also isn’t Krafton’s first attempt to take the game to screens. Deadline says the company announced plans for a PUBG film and TV series in 2020, and that an animated series from Castlevania executive producer Adi Shankar was announced in 2021 with no updates since. The Glover project is the first with a named creative lead and a streamer attached.
Where it sits on Netflix’s games slate
Deadline lists PUBG alongside a growing line-up of Netflix game adaptations. The live-action side includes an Assassin’s Creed series and a Gears of War film, while animated projects cover Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering and Clash of Clans. An Overcooked competition series is also in the works. What’s on Netflix says Assassin’s Creed has wrapped filming, with a late 2027 release looking likely, and that Gears of War is still being scripted.
Live action has been the harder format for the streamer. What’s on Netflix points out that its 2022 Resident Evil series was cancelled after one season. Netflix has had more luck bringing other properties to life, as in the live-action One Piece, and it’s also moving into game-adjacent fantasy with a Ravenloft series. Elsewhere, game-to-screen casting continues, such as new Lara Croft actors for games and TV.
Neon’s involvement is the other notable piece. Deadline says the studio has won two Best Picture Oscars, for Anora and Parasite, and extended its Palme d’Or streak to seven with Fjord at Cannes in May. A prestige film studio and a battle royale game isn’t an obvious pairing, but it fits with Glover’s pitch of treating the material as a creative project.
When will the PUBG Netflix series be released?
Neither Netflix nor Krafton has given a date. The project is in development, and What’s on Netflix expects it won’t arrive before 2028 at the earliest.
Who is in the cast?
Only Donald Glover has been announced, as star, writer, director and executive producer. No other cast members, characters or plot details have been revealed.
Is this the same as the PUBG animated series from Adi Shankar?
No. Deadline says the animated series from the Castlevania executive producer was announced in 2021 and hasn’t been updated since. The Glover project is a separate live-action show.
