Picture Credit: Getty Images
Donald Glover’s four roles on Netflix’s live-action PUBG: Battlegrounds series make it one of the streamer’s most prominent game adaptations in development. He’s set to write, direct, executive produce, and star in the project, which is being developed with KRAFTON’s entertainment arm, LV3H.
The assignment gives Netflix a high-profile creative lead for a franchise built around large-scale battle royale play. PUBG launched in 2017 as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and helped popularize the format of 100 players dropping onto an island to compete. Fortnite, Apex Legends, and Call of Duty: Warzone later adopted versions of that approach.
The game’s peak attention came around 2018 and 2019, but it still has a substantial player base. KRAFTON says the franchise has earned seven Guinness World Records and is now pursuing film and television projects through LV3H, which is involved in the Netflix series’ development and production.
Glover’s creative team and the project’s early stage
Picture Credit: Getty Images
Glover’s brother and longtime collaborator Stephen Glover will also write and executive produce. The pair previously worked together on Atlanta, which Stephen co-created and wrote. Donald Glover’s other credits include Community and Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
The executive producer group also includes Michael Schaefer for NEON TV, Fam Udeorji for Gilga, and Taeseok Jang and Sujin Lee for LV3H. Netflix hasn’t announced a plot, additional cast members, or a production schedule. Scripts are still to be written, so the series appears to be years from release; 2028 would be an early possibility based on its current stage.
Glover has a history with Netflix viewers through Community, whose six seasons left the service globally in April 2024 ahead of the long-promised movie. Atlanta has not streamed on Netflix in the United States, as earlier coverage noted.
This isn’t the first announced screen project tied to PUBG. In July 2021, KRAFTON revealed an animated adaptation with Adi Shankar, known for Castlevania and Devil May Cry. Reports at the time linked it to Netflix, but the project has since gone quiet. The new announcement doesn’t mention that animation effort, leaving the live-action series as the active Netflix project on the record.
A crowded slate, with live action still a test
The PUBG announcement arrives as Netflix builds out a broad slate of game adaptations. Its upcoming projects tracker includes the live-action Assassin’s Creed series, which wrapped filming earlier this month and could arrive in late 2027. David Leitch’s Gears of War film is still being scripted.
Animated adaptations of Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering, and Clash of Clans are in production, while an Overcooked competition series is in development. Splinter Cell: Deathwatch is heading into season two, and Devil May Cry is set for a third and final season. A live-action Crazy Taxi movie is among the projects tied to Netflix’s Sega deal.
Netflix has a longer track record in animation, including Castlevania and its follow-up Castlevania: Nocturne, Emmy-winning Arcane, and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, whose standalone sequel season arrived earlier this month. The catalogue also includes DOTA: Dragon’s Blood, Tekken: Bloodline, Sonic Prime, Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft, Devil May Cry, and Splinter Cell: Deathwatch.
Live-action adaptations have had a harder path: Netflix’s 2022 Resident Evil series was canceled after one season. That puts PUBG alongside Assassin’s Creed as one of the service’s largest live-action bets on game properties. The creative team is now in place; the next meaningful signals will be a story outline, additional casting, and a production timetable. For a ranking of released adaptations, see the best video game series on Netflix.
