USA Network has ordered a pilot based on the book “Masters of Doom” by David Kushner with James and Dave Franco on board as executive producers, Variety has learned.
“Masters of Doom” is the true story of two computer geniuses in an obscure corner of America who, along with a group of rebellious misfits, created one of the biggest franchise hits of the 90s, the video game “Doom.” John Carmack and John Romero were best friends who became bitter rivals, as they created a video game empire and transformed pop culture forever.
Should the project get picked up to series, the story of “Doom” would serve as the first installment in a planned anthology. Each subsequent season would then be based on seminal moments in the history of video games.
Tom Bissell will serve as writer and executive producer on the series. Bissell is no stranger to the video game world, having written for installments in franchises such as “Uncharted” and “Battlefield.” Bissell is also the co-author of the book “The Disaster Artist,” which was turned into a critically-acclaimed film directed by James Franco with both James and Dave also starring. He is the author of nine books in total, including “Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter.”
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The Francos will executive produce under their Ramona Films banner along with Ramona’s Vince Jolivette and Elizabeth Haggard. Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson, and Jeremy Bell of The Gotham Group will also executive produce along with Kushner. D.J. Goldberg of The Gotham Group will serve as co-executive producer. Universal Content Productions (UCP) will produce.
Bissell is represented by LINK Entertainment and Morris Yorn. Kushner is repped by The Gotham Group and Hirsch Wallerstein. The Gotham Group is repped by WME and Nelson Davis LLP.
“Masters of Doom” would be the latest anthology project set up at USA. The network is currently prepping the series “Briarpatch,” with the first season set to star Rosario Dawson and Kim Dickens. It was also recently announced that USA would air the second season of the true crime anthology “Dirty John,” with the first season of that show having aired on Bravo. Other upcoming shows on USA include a series adaptation of “Brave New World” and “Treadstone,” a drama set in the “Bourne” universe.