In a move that surely nobody saw coming, the Driver series of video games—a series that hasn’t seen a major release since 2011 and is, by my calculation, the 13th most relevant car game franchise out there—is getting its own live-action TV adaptation, publisher Ubisoft announced on Tuesday. Set to stream exclusively on Binge, an upcoming, gaming-focused streaming service, the Driver TV series will tell the tale of “John Tanner, an ex-racecar driver turned undercover agent whose mission is to take down the local crime syndicate.”
So, essentially, the plot of the first Fast & Furious movie.
Judging from the lack of any further details such as who will be in it, what it will look like, and how long it will be, it seems like production on the upcoming car-crime show is still in its very early stages. For what it’s worth, though, the show is currently listed on IMDb as a “TV Mini Series” so maybe don’t expect a 20-episode first season.
Fun fact: the original Driver video game from 1999 was inspired by ’70s car chase movies and TV shows, so having the game spawn its own show that will presumably be filled with car chases is either, depending on how you look at things, a cool full-circle moment for the game franchise’s creators or a slightly hilarious indictment on the entertainment industry’s lack of creativity worthy of a Bojack Horseman subplot.
In any case, it doesn’t sound like it’ll cost much to watch Driver because Binge will apparently be free, launch sometime in 2022, and “be accessible on any Internet-connected device.”
Got a tip or question for the author about the new Driver TV show? You can reach them here: chris.tsui@thedrive.com