'The Mosquito Bowl' Peter Berg's Netflix WW2 Film: First Look & What We Know So Far

Behind The Scenes First Look The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Preview

Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson, Nicholas Galitzine, and Tom Francis will lead Netflix and Peter Berg’s upcoming WWII drama The Mosquito Bowl. Filming is currently underway, and we have our first look at the film with some behind-the-scenes images. Here’s everything we know so far.

The Mosquito Bowl is an upcoming Netflix Original war and sports drama directed, written, and produced by Peter Berg, who recently renewed his creative partnership with Netflix and his production studio Film 44—the same studio that produced Netflix projects such as Spenser Confidential, Painkiller, and American Primeval. Writing the film alongside Berg is Mark L. Smith (The Revenant).

Peter Berg is an executive producer through his studio Film 44. Meanwhile, Brian Grazer (A Beautiful Mind) and Alex Gayner (American Primeval) are producing for Imagine Entertainment. Ezra Emanuel (Strange Darling) is also confirmed as an executive producer.

What is the plot of The Mosquito Bowl?

A detailed synopsis for The Mosquito Bowl has been sourced from ProductionWeekly:

“When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, college football was at the height of its popularity. As the nation geared up for total war, one branch of the service dominated the aspirations of college football stars: the United States Marine Corps. Which is why, on Christmas Eve of 1944, when the 4th and 29th Marine regiments found themselves in the middle of the Pacific Ocean training for what would be the bloodiest battle of the war—the invasion of Okinawa—their ranks included one of the greatest pools of football talent ever assembled: former All-Americans, captains from Wisconsin and Brown and Notre Dame, and nearly twenty men who were either drafted or would ultimately play in the NFL. When the trash-talking between the 4th and 29th over who had the better football team reached a fever pitch, it was decided: the two regiments would play each other in a football game as close to the real thing as you could get in the dirt and coral of Guadalcanal.”
“The bruising and bloody game that followed became known as ‘The Mosquito Bowl.’ Within a matter of months, 15 of the 65 players in ‘The Mosquito Bowl’ would be killed at Okinawa, by far the largest number of American athletes ever to die in a single battle. The Mosquito Bowl is the story of these brave and beautiful young men—those who survived and those who did not. It is the story of the families and the landscape that shaped them. It is a story of a far more innocent time in both college athletics and the life of the country, and of the loss of that innocence.”

4 Behind The Scenes First Look The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Preview

Who are the cast members of The Mosquito Bowl?

So far, four actors have been confirmed to star in The Mosquito Bowl: Bill Skarsgård, Ray Nicholson, Nicholas Galitzine, and Tom Francis. The names of their characters have yet to be revealed.

Bill Skarsgård has previously starred in two Netflix Originals: the horror series Hemlock Grove as Roman and as Willard Russell in The Devil All the Time. Arguably, he is most well-known for his roles as Pennywise the Killer Clown in IT and as Count Orlok in Nosferatu.

Bill Skarsgard The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Ww2 Sports Drama Preview

Picture: Bill Skarsgård as Pennywise in IT (left) and as Count Orlok in Nosferatu (right).

Ray Nicholson has begun to make a name for himself in Hollywood and recently starred in films such as Novocaine, Borderline, and Smile 2. The Mosquito Bowl will be the actor’s first Netflix project.

Ray Nicholson The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Ww2 Sports Drama Preview

Picture: Ray Nicholson in Smile 2 (left) and Novocaine (right)

Nicholas Galitzine has starred in two Netflix Originals so far: the 2019 television series Chambers and the 2022 romantic drama Purple Hearts. He recently starred in the STARZ series Mary & George and will appear as Prince Adam/He-Man in the upcoming Masters of the Universe film.

Nicholas Galitzine The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Ww2 Sports Drama Preview

Picture: Nicholas Galitzine in Chambers (left) and Purple Hearts (right)

Tom Francis is mostly well known for his career on stage, having starred in productions of Hair, What’s New Pussycat?, & Juliet, and Sunset Boulevard. He also appeared in the Netflix series You in its fifth season as Clayton, and will star in Noah Baumbach’s upcoming Netflix film later this year, Jay Kelly.

Tom Francis The Mosquito Bowl Netflix Ww2 Sports Drama Preview

Picture: Tom Francis in You S5 (left) and on stage in Sunset Boulevard (right)

Other cast members for the film announced so far are Brent Comer, who is listed to play the role of George Murphy, and Pat McAfee, the former Indianapolis Colts football punter and kickoff specialist, currently a sports analyst, frequently seen on WWE as a color commentator, and host of his podcast The Pat McAfee Show.