Netflix Assembles Star Power for Mosquito Bowl with Galitzine and Skarsgård
Netflix has greenlit Mosquito Bowl, a gripping World War II drama directed by acclaimed filmmaker Peter Berg, and it’s bringing together two of Hollywood’s rising stars: Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård. The film marks the first project under Berg’s recently renewed multi-year deal with Netflix, following the critical success of his limited series American Primeval and Painkiller.
A Powerful Story Based on a True War-Time Event
Mosquito Bowl is adapted from the New York Times bestselling book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Buzz Bissinger. Set in the shadow of the Pearl Harbor attack, the story follows four college football stars who trade their stadiums for the battlefield by enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps. As they prepare for the bloody Battle of Okinawa, the men participate in a legendary football game — known as the “Mosquito Bowl” — that would become a final act of normalcy for many of them before facing the horrors of war.
Peter Berg and Mark L. Smith Pen the Adaptation
Berg has teamed up with screenwriter Mark L. Smith (The Revenant, The Midnight Sky) to co-write the screenplay. The project reunites Berg with longtime collaborator Brian Grazer of Imagine Entertainment, who previously worked with Berg on the cult classic Friday Night Lights and its popular TV adaptation. Alex Gayner is also producing, while Ezra Emanuel is joining as executive producer.
Galitzine’s Meteoric Rise Continues
Galitzine, who recently starred opposite Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You and gained fame from hits like Red, White & Royal Blue and Mary & George, is becoming a leading man for a new generation. He’s set to headline Amazon’s live-action Masters of the Universe reboot and is attached to upcoming projects like Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie and the animated feature Wings of Freedom. WME and the Curtis Brown Group represent Galitzine.
Skarsgård Expands His Dark, Complex Portfolio
Bill Skarsgård, celebrated for his chilling turn as Pennywise in IT, is fresh off his transformative performance in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, one of Focus Features’ biggest box office successes to date. Skarsgård will next appear opposite Anthony Hopkins in Locked and star in high-profile projects like Dead Man’s Wire, The Death of Robin Hood with Hugh Jackman, and the anticipated IT: Welcome to Derry series.
Netflix and Film 44 Strengthen Partnership
Mosquito Bowl is the latest result of Netflix’s deepening relationship with Berg’s Film 44, whose recent projects have consistently landed in the streamer’s global Top 10. American Primeval clocked over 35 million views within its first month of release, while Painkiller — an unflinching take on the opioid crisis — drew over 29 million views across five weeks. With Mosquito Bowl, Netflix aims to add another powerful drama to its growing library of original films inspired by real events.