EXCLUSIVE: Dutch producer Submarine’s good week here in Rome at the MIA Market has continued as it unveiled its latest project.
The Amsterdam-, LA- and London-based firm has followed up its Bellingcat journalism thriller drama The Kollective being taken to series by revealing up Esports thriller series A.D.D. — a collaboration with Nick Luddington.
It is billed as a grounded sci-fi thriller about a young, genius gamer who joins the world’s premier e-sports team, A.D.D., in a bid to discover what happened to her older brother – a former A.D.D. megastar who mysteriously disappeared from the spotlight.” She realizes the team is part of a dark neurological experiment and gets sucked into a dangerous rabbit hole of “corporate corruption, data manipulation and social engineering.”
The series will explore how a corporation called Next-Gen could be harnessing the metaverse that the players compete within for more nefarious purposes. Shot in English, it’s based on a graphic novel from American author Douglas Rushkoff. Luddington, who wrote and co-produced Netflix’s Arcane, is attached as writer.
“As a huge geek and gamer, A.D.D. couldn’t excite me more — delving into the high-pressured world of esports and looking at the impact it has on these young players,” said Luddington. “In the world of competitive esports, geeks and gamers are the heroes and celebrities, and yet it’s a remarkably under-explored sphere of society for such a global phenomenon. A.D.D. steps into this arena and explores a thrilling vision of strange metaverses, inter-player relationships and the cost of success. I couldn’t be more excited.”
The series will be live-action but features elements of hybrid animation Submarine has pioneered in projects such as Prime Video’s Undone and the Richard Linklater Netflix feature film Apollo 10 ½. The animation will depict the visual potential and cinematics of the metaverse.
“A.D.D. is a sci-fi thriller set in the visceral and adrenaline-fuelled world of esports, in which teams of highly skilled teenagers battle for massive prizes, personal glory, and social infamy,” said executive producer and Submarine co-founder Femke Wolting.
E-sports is a vast industry and subculture, with more viewers than professional basketball. It’s a fascinating culture and high-stakes environment that lends itself to a dramatic and visually exciting story. This series fits well within Submarine’s mission to be at the forefront of culture, and we are excited about Nick’s vision for a visually exciting series with a thrilling story.”
Earlier this week, The European Alliance, the commissioning collaboration between France Television, ZDF & Rai, revealed it had boarded Submarine’s investigative journalism thriller series The Kollective, which is written by Leonardo Fasoli (Gomorrah, ZeroZeroZero) and and Maddalena Ravagli (Gomorrah).