In the world of game-to-film adaptations, one of the most tantalizing prospects yet to be realized is the world of Activision’s Call of Duty franchise. While a previous attempt to translate the military saga to the big screen failed to materialize, a new player has entered the game almost a decade later. And this time, it’s the newly merged Paramount that’ll be leading the charge, in hopes of finally answering that call.
Per an official press release issued this morning by Paramount and Activision, Call of Duty’s latest venture into moviemaking was announced as a “partnership [that] aims to bring the iconic Call of Duty universe to life on the big screen, delivering an unforgettable cinematic event for fans worldwide.” As for Paramount’s role in the project, the studio, “will develop, produce, and distribute a live-action feature film based on Call of Duty, 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.”
Celebrating the occasion through a statement, recently installed Paramount chairman/CEO David Ellison shared the following credentials and intentions that should get gamers pumped:
“As a lifelong fan of Call of Duty this is truly a dream come true. 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… We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided our work on Top Gun: Maverick, ensuring it meets the exceptionally high standards this franchise and its fans deserve.”
That mention of Top Gun: Maverick shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Not only does the wildly successful 2022 Tom Cruise legacy-quel align with the sort of stories Call of Duty tells through its games, but that very title is one of the franchises that the new exec team at Paramount have prioritized as a cinematic offering.
Call of Duty & Franchise Films at Paramount
The push for long term franchises, as well as Ellison’s own proclaimed Call of Duty fandom, make this move a pretty solid bet for the future. With the long running FPS staple already attracting talent like Gary Oldman, Ed Harris, Michael Keaton, and most recently Milo Ventimiglia into its fold, there’s already a cinematic quality to the world of CoD. Mirroring the excitement for this new endeavor, president of Activision Rob Kostich fed into the spirit of optimism as follows:
“With Paramount, we have found a fantastic partner who we will work with to take that visceral, breathtaking action to the big screen in a defining cinematic moment. The film will honor and expand upon what has made this franchise great in the first place, and we cannot wait to get started. Our shared goal is quite simple — to create an unforgettable blockbuster movie experience that our community loves, and one that also excites and inspires new fans of the franchise.”
Considering how well Paramount’s Sonic the Hedgehog 3 performed at the box office with fans, Call of Duty’s new digs couldn’t have landed at a better home. Now all that’s left to decide is whether this will be an original story or an adaptation of one of the numerous games already in the library, as well as if the “cinematic universe” approach will be taken to separate the various eras of Activision’s iconic shoot-’em-up. You know…the easy part!
While we wait to see what’s happening with the FNG on the cinematic universe block, players can pre-order Call of Duty: Black Ops 7! That title will be available for purchase (or download with a valid Game Pass subscription) on November 14th.
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