Steven Spielberg nearly directed Call of Duty movie before deal fell through

[Daniel Sims]

Facepalm: While Paramount has yet to announce any acting or directorial talent attached to its recently confirmed Call of Duty movie, fans might be disappointed to learn that famed director Steven Spielberg unsuccessfully approached Activision about project. The publisher reportedly turned him down because they believed he requested too much control over production and release.

Multiple sources informed Matthew Belloni of Puck News that a Call of Duty movie could have been directed by one of the men who helped invent the modern-day blockbuster. Before Activision handed Paramount the film rights, Steven Spielberg's production company made an offer alongside Universal.

Details remain scant regarding the premise of the Paramount project or what Spielberg had in mind. However, the famed director wanted top-of-market economics and control over production, marketing, and the final cut. Activision ultimately chose Paramount CEO David Ellison's pitch because he offered them more input on development. Ellison indicated that the film will strive to resemble another recent successful military-themed Hollywood film, Top Gun: Maverick.

Spielberg, a huge gamer and COD fan, would have been no stranger to the franchise's vibe. The director has helmed some of Hollywood's most iconic action films, such as Jaws, Jurassic Park, and, more aptly, Saving Private Ryan. Spielberg might have been ideal to direct Call of Duty due to his involvement in the chain of events that eventually led to the franchise's creation.

Following his work on Private Ryan, Spielberg directed his game studio, DreamWorks Interactive, to produce a first-person shooter with a similar atmosphere. The result was 1999's Medal of Honor, which, along with Spielberg's film, sparked a popular wave of gritty World War II-themed shooters.

Eventually, members of the development team for the 2002 follow-up, Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, started a new studio under Activision – Infinity Ward. The company's first game, the original Call of Duty, was released the following year.

Call of Duty became one of the most critically acclaimed WWII shooters, starting what has since become the United States' most successful video game franchise, with over 500 million copies sold. Attempts to produce a film are unsurprising, especially after the success of the Super Mario Bros. and Minecraft movies, which demonstrated that video game adaptations can be profitable.

Other in-development video game-based movies include The Legend of Zelda, Elden Ring, Death Stranding, OutRun, BioShock, Gears of War, and Resident Evil.

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Steven Spielberg nearly directed Call of Duty movie before deal fell through

 

[passwordistaco]

So instead of letting one of the top filmmakers of all time (who has also actually been involved in video game production) do the movie, Activision said "No, we know better."

Dumpster fire in the making.

 

[Megalomaniac]

Saving Private Ryan was enough to give us PTSD for a war we hadn't even lived for.

 

[Liranan]

Saving Private Ryan is such a travesty of historic revisionism that they had to make Band of Brothers as a form of apology. Spielberg is a massively overrated director and they should have asked Nolan instead.

 

[GeoffreyA]

Saving Private Ryan is such a travesty of historic revisionism that they had to make Band of Brothers as a form of apology. Spielberg is a massively overrated director and they should have asked Nolan instead.

If you mean Nolan for Saving Private Ryan, he was not at the height of his powers in the late '90s. I haven't seen Following, but Memento, from 2000, gives an indication of what he was capable of at the time. As a fan of his films, I tend to think, increasingly, that he is overrated: becoming more mechanical, turning out perfect films that are, nonetheless, lacking something vital.

 

[Liranan]

If you mean Nolan for Saving Private Ryan, he was not at the height of his powers in the late '90s. I haven't seen Following, but Memento, from 2000, gives an indication of what he was capable of at the time. As a fan of his films, I tend to think, increasingly, that he is overrated: becoming more mechanical, turning out perfect films that are, nonetheless, lacking something vital.

Spielberg's films are spectacle but lack depth.

I don't mean the Nolan of 20 years ago but the Nolan of today. The opening scene of TENET is fantastic and highly underrated (which I understand due to its complexity).

 

[GeoffreyA]

Spielberg's films are spectacle but lack depth.

I don't mean the Nolan of 20 years ago but the Nolan of today. The opening scene of TENET is fantastic and highly underrated (which I understand due to its complexity).

I agree about Spielberg and have never been that fond of his work.

No doubt, the opening scene of Tenet is oustanding, like any of his great pieces (think of the docking sequence in Interstellar), and I like Tenet but feel something is missing. Indeed, Oppenheimer, perfect but empty, I don't ever care to watch again, whereas Tenet I'd be happy to see this afternoon. But no question, when it comes to large scale, massive effect, and turning one's brain upside down, Nolan is the present king of that. At his best, he's trying to touch on something beyond our existence, but that skill is in tension with his logic and mechanism.

 

[TooQik]

Saving Private Ryan is such a travesty of historic revisionism that they had to make Band of Brothers as a form of apology. Spielberg is a massively overrated director and they should have asked Nolan instead.

I like both Saving Private Ryan and Dunkirk, but if I had to compare Saving Private Ryan (Spielberg) to Dunkirk (Nolan) based on stylisation and entertainment value, I would pick the former all day long.

As to historic revisionism, neither are documentaries on their respective subjects, so that's kind of irrelevant given both movies are meant for entertainment value, not educational purposes.

At the end of the day, it's subjective anyway. One director's vision for a project may or may not work for each of us as individuals.