It’s official, Call of Duty is heading to the big screen

Just announced today by Activision and Paramount Pictures, Call of Duty is going Hollywood with a big screen adaptation.

Now it’s one of the glitterati

A streak of 16 consecutive years as the best-selling video game in the US. Over 500 million copies sold, globally, over that same period. Yes, we’re talking about Call of Duty. No matter what you might think of the current direction for the franchise and its assortment of sub-series’, CoD is a juggernaut.

And now on the verge of this year’s release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 7, there’s another big announcement. As you can see from the headline, that’s that Call of Duty is officially going to tinsel town with a big screen adaptation.

That was revealed today by film giant Paramount and Activision, CoD’s longtime video game publisher.

“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. Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly. 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. 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.”

David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, a Skydance Corporation

“Throughout its history, Call of Duty has captured our imagination with incredible action and intense stories that have brought millions of people together from around the world, and that focus on making incredible Call of Duty games remains unwavering. 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.”

Rob Kostich, President of Activision

A faithful adaptation, but of what?

As you can see from the above quotes, there isn’t a lot of information as to which Call of Duty that film-fans will be seeing. Will the flick be set in the Modern Warfare universe? Black Ops? Something altogether new? We have no idea (though we’re partial to Black Ops).

Wishful thinking aside, there’s been nothing announced one way or the other. What has been revealed though, is the attention to detail that both companies will be looking to ‘port’ to cinemas. And presently anyway, that’s sounding pretty good to us. Fans can reportedly look for the companies to be committed to “honoring the brand’s rich narrative and distinctive style, promising an authentic and exciting experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

Both Activision and Paramount say that they’ll be looking to deliver “on the hallmarks of what fans love about the iconic series”. As far as pr text, that sounds as good as it gets, and we have to admit that we’re loving the mention of Top Gun: Maverick by Ellison. Recent military movies don’t get much better than that.

Whatever does come of the deal though, it doesn’t sound like it’ll be a direct adaptation of anything. The press release expands slightly, adding that the movie will expand “the franchise to entirely new audiences” as well. So basically, read into that what you will, and stay tuned.

We’re sure we’ll have plenty more about the Call of Duty movie in the months to come.