How can it possibly have taken 22 years for a Call of Duty movie to go into production? That’s how long it’s been since the very first WW2-themed FPS game in the franchise was released, and yet at no point over its many incarnations and decades has it come to movie theaters. That is about to change, as Paramount has agreed to a deal with Activision to convert the enormously popular shooty-bang games to the big screen.
Whether the Call of Duty film will be directly adapted from any particular game or series is as of yet unclear, and given the series has at various points been a somber Second World War simulation, a ludicrous blockbuster futuristic war-wank fantasy, a zombie FPS, and now, more than anything else, a massive multiplayer shooter, that leaves a lot of room. You might imagine if the movie were due out soon, it’d make sense to focus on the Black Ops vein, given that’s the theme of both this and last year’s entries. But since it’s only just being announced as a deal, a million miles away from having a script or appointing a director, it’s possible everyone will be long over that angle by the time anything is released. Going back to the series’ roots also seems an unlikely choice, given WW2 cinema is a very well-trodden path with some legendary films against which it would be compared.
Paramount CEO David Ellison said in a press release that the deal is a “dream come true.” He added, “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.”
Citing Top Gun: Maverick, presumably in an effort to show the studio has the right sort of form, Ellison said, “We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence…ensuring it meets the exceptionally high standards this franchise and its fans deserve. 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.”
There were no clues about the specific approach the creative team would be taking to adapting the franchise in Activision’s grimly banal press blurb either. Activision president Rob Kostich waffled about “the incredible action and intense stories that have brought millions of people together from around the world,” and called Paramount “a fantastic partner who we will work with to take that visceral, breathtaking action to the big screen in a defining cinematic moment.” Bleurgh.
I’m fascinated to learn how a deal is only happening now, given CoD‘s dominance over gaming for so many years, and the games that have had cinematic conversions. It would seem like a no-brainer to slap the words “Call of Duty” and a colon onto pretty much any war movie and rake it in, given the games long ago abandoned anything about their storytelling that is distinctive or worthwhile. A bunch of men gruffly shouting how cross they are and then running through a crumbling building doesn’t seem like a big stretch for Hollywood.
A movie is likely at least three or four years away in the best circumstances, so don’t go trying to book tickets just yet. It seems vastly more likely that it’ll take a lot longer, as the budget will inevitably be enormous, so too many executive eyes will be on the script, then interfering with development, then driving a director off the lot in frustration…