The Mosquito Bowl

Last updated

The Mosquito Bowl
The Mosquito Bowl poster.jpeg
Release poster
Directed by Peter Berg
Screenplay by
Based on
The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II
by  Buzz Bissinger
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Jacques Jouffret
Music by Explosions in the Sky
Production
companies
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates
  • October 22, 2026 (2026-10-22)(AFI Fest)
  • October 30, 2026 (2026-10-30)(United States)
Running time
127 minutes [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

The Mosquito Bowl is an upcoming American sports drama film directed by Peter Berg and produced by Film 44 and Imagine Entertainment for Netflix. It is based on the 2022 Buzz Bissinger book The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II , which is about the Mosquito Bowl game played during World War II. The film will star Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson, and Tom Francis in the leading roles. The film will have its world premiere at the 2026 AFI Film Festival on October 22, 2026, before getting United States theatrical release on October 30, 2026. [2]

Contents

Premise

Four top American football players enlist in the United States Marine Corps after the attack on Pearl Harbor. While preparing for the battle of Okinawa, they play a football game, the Mosquito Bowl, that later becomes famous. [3]

Cast

Production

Development

The film is based on Buzz Bissinger's 2022 The Mosquito Bowl: A Game of Life and Death in World War II , which is about the Mosquito Bowl. [7] [8] While American Primeval , also directed by Berg, was in post-production, a friend's son recommended that he make an adaption of the book during a dinner, following which Berg stated "everything just clicked". [9] Production for the film began in 2025. [5] The film is directed by Peter Berg, and co-produced by Berg with Film 44, Brian Grazer with Imagine Entertainment, and Alex Gayner. [10] Berg and Grazer previously collaborated on Friday Night Lights (2004), another sports film adaptation of Bissinger's work. Berg and Mark L. Smith co-wrote the script, while Ezra Emanuel serves as the executive producer. Production of the film was announced in April 2025, and will be distributed by Netflix. [3] It is an action drama sports film. [10] [3]

Casting

In late April 2025, it was announced that the actors Nicholas Galitzine and Bill Skarsgård were cast in leading roles. [11] The film also stars Ray Nicholson and Tom Francis. [12] [13] In July, Brent Comer joined the cast as George Murphy, a quarterback from the University of Notre Dame. [14] Pat McAfee, a former NFL player, will also appear as a drill instructor. [8] [7]

Filming

The Mosquito Bowl began principal photography in August 2025 in Queensland, Australia. [15] [13] Berg praised the natural landscapes, calling it "cinematic gold" and "perfect" for the book's transition to a visual medium. [13] Scenes were also shot in Richard Gouse Field at Brown Stadium in Providence, Rhode Island, for one day in November 2025. [16] [17] By December 2025, filming had wrapped. [18]

Music

Explosions in the Sky, the post-rock band who has previously worked with the director in his previous films, has composed the film score. [19]

Release

The Mosquito Bowl will open in U.S. theaters on October 30 before its Netflix premiere on November 25. [10] [20] Netflix will report this film's box office result. [21]

References

  1. ↑ "The Mosquito Bowl[MA 15+]". Australian Classification Board. September 11, 2026. Archived from the original on September 18, 2026. Retrieved September 18, 2026.
  2. ↑ Slater, Cia (September 22, 2026). "World Premiere of THE MOSQUITO BOWL set for AFI FEST 2026 presented by Canva". American Film Institute . Retrieved September 28, 2026.
  3. 1 2 3 Kroll, Justin (April 2, 2025). "Peter Berg's Film 44 Reups Netflix Deal, Sets 'Mosquito Bowl' As First Film Under New Pact Reuniting With Brian Grazer". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 4, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  4. ↑ "Nicholas Galitzine". Curtis Brown. Archived from the original on January 23, 2026. Retrieved January 23, 2026.
  5. 1 2 Palmer, Katherine (January 7, 2026). "Netflix unveils major update on epic war drama based on emotional true story". Manchester Evening News . Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  6. ↑ Kornits, Dov. "Stacy Clausen: Making the Grade with Leviticus". FilmInk . Retrieved March 11, 2026.
  7. 1 2 Kiley, Rachel (August 29, 2025). "Nicholas Galitzine & Bill Skarsgård slip into uniform for The Mosquito Bowl — here's what we know". Pride . Archived from the original on August 31, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  8. 1 2 Garcia, Brayden (August 29, 2025). "'Friday Night Lights' author and film director reteaming on new football movie". Fort Worth Star-Telegram . Archived from the original on October 20, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  9. ↑ Beer, Jeff (February 18, 2025). "'I always have a vague, abstract idea of things that I want to do': Peter Berg on how staying busy fuels his creativity". Fast Company . Archived from the original on February 18, 2025. Retrieved October 21, 2025.
  10. 1 2 3 Grobar, Matt (January 7, 2026). "Netflix's 2026 Film Slate: Dates For 'War Machine' & Other Titles, New Cast For Animated 'Swapped' Plus First-Look Pics For 'Enola Holmes 3,' More". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 7, 2026. Retrieved January 19, 2026.
  11. ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 15, 2025). "Nicholas Galitzine & Bill Skarsgård To Star In Netflix's 'Mosquito Bowl' From Director Peter Berg". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on May 17, 2025. Retrieved September 25, 2025.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (April 22, 2025). "Ray Nicholson And Tom Francis To Co-Star in Peter Berg's 'The Mosquito Bowl' At Netflix". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 22, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  13. 1 2 3 "Filming begins in Queensland on Netflix drama 'The Mosquito Bowl'". Screen Queensland. August 4, 2025. Archived from the original on September 8, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  14. ↑ Stephan, Katcy; Donnelly, Matt (July 8, 2025). "Brent Comer Joins Peter Berg's 'The Mosquito Bowl' at Netflix (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on July 9, 2025. Retrieved October 19, 2025.
  15. ↑ "Peter Berg's Netflix drama 'The Mosquito Bowl' touches down in Queensland with Nicholas Galitzine, Bill Skarsgård". IF Magazine . August 4, 2025. Archived from the original on August 12, 2025. Retrieved October 20, 2025.
  16. ↑ Parker, Paul Edward (November 13, 2025). "Netflix films World War II football movie at Brown Stadium in Providence RI". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on November 15, 2025. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  17. ↑ Parker, Paul Edward (November 12, 2025). "Netflix films "The Mosquito Bowl" in Providence RI about World War II football game". The Providence Journal . Archived from the original on November 15, 2025. Retrieved November 15, 2025.
  18. ↑ "In Conversation with The Mosquito Bowl director Peter Berg". Screen Queensland. December 11, 2025. Archived from the original on January 21, 2026. Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Explosions in the Sky Scoring Peter Berg's 'The Mosquito Bowl'". Film Music Reporter. September 9, 2026. Retrieved October 13, 2026.
  20. ↑ Clayton Davis (August 21, 2026). "Netflix Sets Theatrical and Streaming Dates for Peter Berg's World War II Drama 'The Mosquito Bowl' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety . Archived from the original on August 23, 2026. Retrieved August 21, 2026.
  21. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 11, 2026. Retrieved October 13, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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