James and Dave Franco are producing a television show based on Masters of Doom

(Image credit: ID Software)

Masters of Doom is a 2003 book about the creation of the groundbreaking FPS Doom, with a particular focus on the two dominant personalities behind it, John Carmack and Johm Romero. It's an outstanding behind-the-scenes look at a genre-defining studio—we called it a "must read" in our 2018 reminiscence on pulling the trigger of the BFG-9000 for the first time—and the tale may soon be headed to the small screen, courtesy of... the Franco brothers?

According to Variety, USA Network has ordered a pilot based on the book, with James and Dave Franco signed as executive producers. Gears of War 4 lead writer Tom Bissell, who also has writing credits on Tales From the Borderlands, Uncharted 4, What Remains of Edith Finch, and others, will write the series and is also credited as an executive producer.

If the pilot is picked up as a series, Masters of Doom would become the first part in an anthology, with subsequent seasons detailing other "seminal moments in videogame history." There's no word on casting yet, but there's one obvious question hanging over the whole thing right out of the gate: Which Franco will play Romero?

Although shortly after the announcement, Brenda Romero asked an even more pointed question:

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Romero, who's currently heading up development of a new strategy game for Paradox called Empire of Sin, also confirmed that her husband is not directly involved in the project. 

He does think it's cool, though.

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Romero's Doom-Mastering partner, John Carmack, said on Twitter that he's not involved in the project either.

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Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.