Call of Duty movie confirmed: Paramount set to adapt iconic game franchise

New Delhi: Gamers have dreamed about it for years, and now it’s finally happening. Call of Duty, one of the world’s most successful video game franchises, is set to become a live-action film series after Paramount and Activision announced a collaboration on Tuesday (September 2).

The move will take the first-person shooter, which has sold more than 500 million copies since its debut, into cinemas worldwide. Both companies said the goal is to capture what players love about the franchise while introducing it to new audiences.

Paramount CEO David Ellison called the project a "dream come true.” He explained his personal connection to the franchise, saying, "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. Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility.”

Activision’s President Rob Kostich added that the film "will honor and expand upon what has made [Call of Duty] great in the first place.” He promised a blockbuster movie experience that existing fans will enjoy, while also aiming to pull in new viewers.

Right now, the details are being kept under wraps. There is no word yet on the director, cast, or even which storyline the movie will follow. Paramount could lean on fan-favorite arcs like Modern Warfare or Black Ops, or they might decide to build a completely fresh story set in the Call of Duty universe.

The studio said the adaptation will be "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.”

Hollywood has been doubling down on video game adaptations lately. Universal made over $1 billion with The Super Mario Bros. Movie. Paramount already struck gold with Sonic the Hedgehog. And now Nintendo is working with Sony to adapt The Legend of Zelda. Call of Duty, with its two-decade legacy and global player base, was one of the last major gaming IPs left untouched by the big screen.

The timing seems right too. The franchise shows no signs of slowing down. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was a major success last year, and its sequel, Black Ops 7, is already scheduled for release on November 14 across PlayStation, Xbox, and PC.

For years, rumors about a Call of Duty movie popped up and disappeared. Back in 2015, Activision even had a project in the works with Stefano Sollima (of Sicario 2), but that plan was shelved in 2020. This time, with Paramount on board and Activision actively backing the project, the chances of seeing soldiers, missions, and explosive set pieces play out on the big screen feel much stronger.

As Ellison put it, the studio is approaching the project with the same focus they had while making Top Gun: Maverick. "I can promise that we are resolute in our mission to deliver a cinematic experience that honors the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand – thrilling longtime fans of Call of Duty while captivating a whole new generation.”

DICE, your move next?