Just out from Deadline, the folks over at Paramount in association with Anonymous Content have optioned the rights to the Battlefield franchise from Dice/EA to produce a TV show based off of the property. Of course at this time little is known about the setting or format such a show would take, but one thing is clear, the showrunners are keen to tap into the built-in audience a game like Battlefield maintains.
“Battlefield has a tremendous built-in, engaged fan base, making it a highly coveted piece of IP primed for long-form adaptation,” said Michael Sugar, partner, Anonymous Content. “Together with EA and Paramount TV, we’ll develop the Battlefield TV series with the same commitment to robust storytelling that has made the game such a runaway success for nearly fifteen years.”
Speaking from the paramount side of things, “Paramount TV actively seeks smart content from all sectors that will resonate with audiences and translate to compelling programming,” said Amy Powell, President, Paramount TV. “EA’s Battlefield has an incredibly dynamic narrative, coupled with a loyal fan base, which will allow us to bring this exciting and unique property to the small screen. We look forward to working with EA and Anonymous Content and thank Michael Sugar for his tenacity in bringing us this exciting project.”
It is far too early to have any real information other than this is currently happening but it does beg the question, what would a Battlefield TV show look like. In the fifteen years previously mentioned the Battlefield franchise has had a lot of different faces and put the spotlight on various fields of valor, most notably those of World War II.
It is hard to imagine though that the showrunners and producers would want to walk down that path through a genre of war stories that have already been covered so well by titles such as “Band of Brothers” and “the Pacific”. Could the time be right with the upcoming release of Battlefield 1 to visit the sites of conflict from the first World War being presented in that title?
Perhaps the producers are looking for something more along the lines of an anthology where the stories of various soldiers from a multitude of conflicts could be presented. There is no doubt a property as ambiguous in its setting opens up a multitude of possibilities but that may present a different problem, what makes something “Battlefield”?
As of now, it looks like we will just have to wait and see to find out. In the meantime, it is fun to speculate. What do you want to see from a Battlefield TV show? What setting or theatres of battle would you want to see the series take on? Sound off in the comments below!