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I was already intrigued and excited when Paramount announced that they had partnered with Activision to develop a live action adaptation of the latter’s bombastically successful line of military themed combat action video games Call of Duty. Having developed a barrage of different style first-person shooters with a theatrical style of in game storytelling just cried for a live action adaptation and this week, we finally were given the news we had been waiting for.
How do you make this upcoming video game adaptation even sweeter. Well enlist your megastar behind the scenes developer in Taylor Sheridan before he bolts for NBC/Universal and reunite him with actor turned prolific filmmaker Peter Berg who has had mass success with bring war movies to the big screen. That’s right video game enthusiasts. Call of Duty is essentially getting the royal treatment on its journey to theaters screens, and we can expect an epic military themed action-thriller of gigantic proportions that should be worthy of the video game it comes from.
According to Variety who brought the news: “Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg will co-write the script for Paramount Skydance’s live-action feature film adaptation of “Call of Duty.” Berg, whose credits include “Friday Night Lights” and “Deepwater Horizon,” will also direct. The deal comes the week that news broke that Sheridan, one of the company’s biggest hitmakers, will move his overall pact to NBCUniversal in 2029. It appears that Paramount Skydance will keep him busy until then and the subject matter sounds right up Sheridan’s alley given his penchant for action-heavy thrillers and procedurals.”
Activision created Call of Duty which first premiered back in 2003 and pretty much overnight changed the scope and scale of the first-person shooter video game immersing the gamer in a vast world of black ops combat encompassing all the wars of the past as well as futuristic scenarios as well. Hell, there even have been zombies incorporated into the games escalating the danger factor, but none can deny that these series of games are the tier one of all military actioners for game consoles.
As of now, Paramount is only developing one Call of Duty film but if successful, there can be multiple films leading to a franchise along with television as well. Plot details are, of course, classified (see what I did there?) but it will most like involve America’s elite special operators going to war over a glooming threat that looks to destroy the world.
Taylor Sheridan, beside looking like the Marlboro Man in real life, is the ultimate success story in Hollywood developing a slew of successful films and television series including Yellowstone, and its subsequent and successful spinoffs, 1883 and 1923. Sheridan is also responsible for Lioness with Zoe Saldana and Nichole Kidman, Landman with Billy Bob Thorton, Stallone’s Tulsa King and Mayor of Kingstown with Jeremy Renner. When talking of Sheridan’s theatrical output, he has earned an Oscar nomination for writing Hell or High Water which starred Chris Pine and Ben Foster. Sheridan has also written the standout crime thriller Wind River which reunited MCU alums Jeremy Renner and Elizabeth Olson and featured one of the best climatic gunfights ever and Sicario and its sequel Sicario: Day of the Soldado. The former starred Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro and Josh Brolin with the latter two also starring in the sequel.
Berg has made his mark with the films Hancock with Charlize Theron and Will Smith, Lone Survivor with Mark Wahlberg, Ben Foster and Taylor Kitsch, Patriots Day also starring Wahlberg and Battleship also starring Kitsch. This is a very unpopular opinion, but I loved Mile 22 which teamed Wahlberg up with international action star Iko Uwais. While many complained about the hyper-kinetic and jittery orchestrated action sequences and the improper use of Uwais in the fight scenes, I felt that neither argument was warranted and that the brutal action was both visceral and unforgiving. The only complaint that I have was that the film was left open and the weak box office meant that we would never get the chance to see how it played out.
What does all of this mean? Well, it means that not only are both Sheridan and Berg bangers with making films and television, but they are also well adapt at making military themed actioners that are ferocious and crowd pleasing. Keep it locked and loaded right here for more intel on the development of the Call of Duty live action film as we are the ultimate destination for your action fix!
