USA Network has given a pilot order to Masters of Doom, a drama based on David Kushner’s nonfiction book, from James and Dave Franco’s Ramona Films, The Gotham Group and UCP. Masters of Doom is being eyed as an anthology series, with the first installment based on Kushner’s book, published by Random House in 2003.

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Written and executive produced by WGA Award winner Tom Bissell (Gears of War), 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.

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Ellen Goldsmith-Vein, Eric Robinson and Jeremy Bell executive produce via The Gotham Group, along with 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. UCP is the studio.

Masters of Doom falls into USA’s wheelhouse of “heroes, rebels & icons” as the network focuses on big stories about big American characters. Masters of Doom kicks off USA’s 2019 pilot cycle.

Bissell is a writer on the Gears of War, Battlefield, and Uncharted video game franchises and author of nine books, including Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter. He also co-authored the bestseller The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made. His short fiction has also been anthologized in multiple editions of the Best American Short Stories series.

Kushner, a contributing editor of Rolling Stone, is the author of six books, including his latest, The Players Ball.

Bissell is repped 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.