Something to look forward to: Call of Duty is finally joining the list of games being turned into Hollywood movies. Paramount and Activision are partnering to create the live-action film, aiming to deliver "an unforgettable cinematic event for fans worldwide." Details about the project have yet to be confirmed, including who will star in the adaptation, what it will be about, and a possible release date.
Now that many video game-based movies are no longer automatic flops, companies are rushing to get gaming IPs onto the big screen.
With Call of Duty, Paramount will be developing, producing, and distributing the movie. It promises something that is "designed to thrill its massive global fan base by delivering on the hallmarks of what fans love about the iconic series, while boldly expanding the franchise to entirely new audiences."
Paramount's CEO and chairman, David Ellison, said the project is a dream come true for the lifelong CoD fan. "From the first Allied campaigns in the original Call of Duty, through Modern Warfare and Black Ops, I've spent countless hours playing this franchise that I absolutely love."
Ellison added that the studio will approach the CoD movie with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided its work on Top Gun: Maverick.
Many video game adaptations are criticized for straying too far from the source material. Ellison pledged that the CoD movie will "honor the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand."
Call of Duty is third-largest video game franchise of all time, sitting behind Tetris and Mario, and is the most successful to have been created in the US. Since the first entry in 2003, the games have sold over 500 million units.
There have been efforts to get Call of Duty made into a movie going back years. In 2015, Activision formed Activision Blizzard studios to develop content based on its successful franchises. While an animated Skylanders game was made (Skylanders Academy), the planned movie series based on Call of Duty never happened, despite an attempt in 2018 that hoped to case Tom Hardy and Chris Pine in the main roles.
Following the huge success of A Minecraft Movie and The Super Mario Bros. Movie, video game adaptations are no longer viewed as risky as they once were – barring exceptions like Borderlands. Indie filmmaker A24 is making both the Elden Ring and Death Stranding movies, which should certainly be interesting.
There's also a new Street Fighter movie in production, Sydney Sweeney and Michael Bay have teamed up on an adaptation of Sega classic OutRun, Netflix is making BioShock and Gears of War, and there's yet another Resident Evil in the works, this one with Barbarian and Weapons director Zach Cregger behind the camera.
Call of Duty movie in the works as Paramount partners with Activision
