Netflix Reveals First Official Trailer for Lone Survivor Director's WWII Streaming Epic

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Published Sep 9, 2026, 1:39 PM EDT

Peter Berg's World War II movie combines two of his favorite subjects: football and war

Four World War II soldiers in front of a tank.

On Wednesday, Netflix released the first trailer for The Mosquito Bowl, its upcoming World War II film from director Peter Berg, best known for movies like Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Friday Night Lights. In 2028, Berg will helm a Call of Duty adaptation for Paramount. But first, he has The Mosquito Bowl, a film based on the book of a similar name by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Buzz Bissinger.

The first trailer for Netflix's The Mosquito Bowl focuses on former college football athletes turned soldiers as they go from buzzing stadiums to the horrors of the Pacific Theater.

What is The Mosquito Bowl about?

The movie's logline reads:

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, four of America’s top college football stars set their fame aside to enlist in the Marines. As they prepare for the brutal invasion of Okinawa, they’ll play in a legendary game featuring some of the greatest players in history — a game that, for many, will be the last they ever play.

Berg's film is based on Bissinger’s historical fiction novel, The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II. The book was inspired by the real-life Mosquito Bowl, a football game between the 4th and 29th Marine Regiments played at Guadalcanal on Dec. 24, 1944. The game featured many of the country’s best college football prospects, including future NFL players.

Several of those who competed in the game died in the Battle of Okinawa.

Who are the film's cast and crew?

The adaptation of the novel stars Nicholas Galitzine (Masters of the Universe) as John McLaughry, Bill Skarsgård (It) as Bob Baumann, Ray Nicholson as Tony Butkovich, and Tom Francis as David Schreiner. Peter Berg, who previously directed the film adaptation of Friday Night Lights, will be co-writing and directing The Mosquito Bowl. Friday Night Lights collaborators Brian Grazer and Explosions in the Sky will also return to work on the film. The movie is coming to theaters on Oct. 30, and to Netflix on Nov. 25.

Beyond Friday Night Lights, Berg is known for directing Lone Survivor, Patriots Day, Hancock, and the infamous box-office bomb Battleship. He’s been tapped by Paramount Pictures to direct a live-action adaptation of Call of Duty, which is set for 2028. Berg once described Call of Duty and other war-themed video games as “pathetic” and described those who played them as hiding behind “keyboard courage.” The film adaptation of the popular game series will be co-written by Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, meaning that unless Sheridan suddenly returns to form (Sicario, Hell or High Water), the movie will likely achieve levels of jingoism that would have made Teddy Roosevelt blush.