DOOM is one of the most popular video games ever. At the very least, it is the game that put the FPS on the map. Now, USA Network is giving us a series about the game, but now what you might expect.
Masters of Doom, based on award-winning journalist and author David Kushner’s landmark nonfiction book of the same name, is a story based on real events 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. Now the cast and director have been revealed for the pilot episode. Here they are (pictured in order above from top left to bottom right):
- Eduardo Franco (“Booksmart”) will star as John Romero, a brilliant young programmer and designer determined to become the video game industry’s first rock star.
- Patrick Gibson (“The OA”) will star as John Carmack, a self-taught genius whose unparalleled programming skill allows him to help create the first-person-shooter genre—and lay the groundwork for the rise of virtual reality.
- John Karna (“Valley of the Boom”) will play Tom Hall, a tragically lovable young game designer who becomes the heart and soul of the two Johns’ groundbreaking company, iD Software.
- Jane Ackermann (“Neptune”) will play Hannah Romero, a young wife and mother whose support for her husband, John Romero, is pushed to its breaking point by his unrelenting focus on games.
- Siobhan Williams (“Deadly Class”) will play Stevie Case, a brash and charismatic young woman who becomes one of the first female professional gamers—and John Romero’s girlfriend.
- Peter Friedman (“Succession”) will recur as Al Vekovius, the 1987 Shreveport Businessman of the Year, whose Louisiana company, Softdisk, brings the two Johns together and sponsors their first forays as professional game designers.
Rhys Thomas (“Documentary Now!”) will direct the pilot. Tom Bissell (“Gears of War”) will write the pilot and serve as executive producer. Also serving as executive producers are Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson and Jeremy Bell of The Gotham Group; James Franco, Dave Franco, Vince Jolivette and Elizabeth Haggard of Ramona Films; and Kushner. D.J. Goldberg of The Gotham Group will serve as co-executive producer.
No release date has been given for the series.
Photo Credits: Jonathan Fieweger/NBCUniversal