The next Call of Duty game is confirmed to launch in November, but a movie based on the popular first-person shooter series could also become a reality at some point in the future. Paramount Pictures is said to be looking to acquire the film rights to Line of Duty. The studio is believed to be in talks with Microsoft and Activision amid Hollywood’s push to bring more popular video game IPs to the screen.
Film rights following Paramount’s “Call of Duty”
Paramount boss David Ellison is working hard to secure the film rights to “Line of Duty,” two people familiar with the matter told Puck’s Matthew Belloni. Prominent Hollywood insider Belloni reported in his newsletter last week that Line of Duty is a “priority” for Ellison and studio heads Dan Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.
Belloni said no talent has been identified for the potential project, but rights negotiations are ongoing. Ellison is reportedly looking to adapt the game series to appeal to younger moviegoers. Paramount also produced the Sonic the Hedgehog movies, which grossed more than $1 billion at the global box office. Ellison is said to be looking to expand the company’s video game IP footprint. The executive also reportedly hopes to bring a Street Fighter movie to theaters, which has a pending production deal with Legendary Pictures.
Talk of a Call of Duty movie adaptation has been ongoing ever since Activision announced its film and television division in 2015. The publisher plans to launch a Call of Duty “cinematic universe” that includes a series of movies and possibly a TV series adaptation. Reports about the Call of Duty movie script and ancillary talent have surfaced over the years, but it’s safe to say that the Call of Duty cinematic universe isn’t getting off the ground. Plans may change further when Microsoft acquires Activision Blizzard in 2023.
Warner Bros.’ Minecraft movie is third-highest-grossing movie of the year
Photo credit: Warner Bros.
Video game film and television adaptations
However, with the recent success of video game film and TV adaptations like HBO’s “The Last of Us,” Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures’ “Minecraft” movies, and Universal Pictures’ “Super Mario Bros. Movie,” studios are working to adapt popular gaming IP into movies.
Earlier this year, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said there would be more movies and TV shows based on first-party Xbox games. The Xbox parent company has found success in movies with the “Minecraft” movies and a hit on Amazon Prime Video with the “Fallout” TV series. It’s not impossible that a Call of Duty game will be released at some point in the future.
Not all video game titles are as successful as movies and TV shows. Microsoft’s Halo series received mixed reactions from fans and critics and was canceled in 2024 after two seasons. Take-Two’s move to Borderlands in 2024 was also a critical commercial failure.
