What happened? Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a Call of Duty movie, but Activision said no.
- According to Puck, Spielberg approached Activision, the powerhouse behind the Call of Duty franchise, with ideas for a movie based on their iconic video game.
- Spielberg and his team at Amblin partnered with Universal’s Jimmy Horowitz to pitch his ideas for the Call of Duty movie.
- When Spielberg directs a movie, he receives final cut, peak economics, and full control over production and marketing. According to Puck, this “spooked” Activision, which led to the deal with Paramount.
Why it’s important: Turning down the director of Jaws and Saving Private Ryan is as risky as it gets.
- Paramount’s pitch offered more “control” over the process, which Activision wanted.
- Spielberg is a huge gamer and really wanted to direct this movie. Max Spielberg, Steven’s son, previously said that his father loves playing the campaign in Call of Duty.
- Knowing that Spielberg wanted this project, pressure is now on David Ellison and Paramount to deliver an epic feature film adaptation.
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Why should I care? Call of Duty is one of the most popular video game franchises, and a movie based on the game could be a gigantic hit.
- The curse of the video game adaptation is over.
- A Minecraft Movie, The Super Mario Bros. Movie, and Sonic the Hedgehog have shown that audiences will flock to theaters to see movies based on their favorite video games.
- Video game adaptations have exploded in popularity. Mortal Kombat II, Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, Return to Silent Hill, The Super Mario Bros. Movie 2, Street Fighter, Elden Ring, and The Legend of Zelda are all coming to theaters within the next few years.
Okay, what’s next? Call of Duty is in the early stages of development.
- The live-action movie will live at Paramount.
- No talent is attached.
