Call of Duty live-action movie officially in the works at Paramount
Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan will co-write the script and produce together, with Berg directing
The globally renowned Call of Duty video game franchise is officially heading to the big screen, with Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan confirmed to lead the live-action adaptation, Paramount Pictures and Activision said Thursday.
Berg will direct, with himself and Sheridan co-writing the script and producing. The acclaimed pair previously collaborated on the Oscar-nominated Hell or High Water and Wind River, showcasing their successful partnership.
While specific plot details remain under wraps, the film will draw from a game series that debuted in 2003 as a World War II simulation. Call of Duty has since sold over 500 million copies globally, expanding into modern warfare themes.
The news of Sheridan’s involvement in a new Paramount project came as a bit of a surprise to the industry. Earlier this week, reports said that the Yellowstone creator was leaving Paramount for an overall film and television deal at NBCUniversal valued at some $1 billion across five years. Representatives for NBCUniversal declined to comment.
The announcement also comes on the heels of mass layoffs at Paramount, just months after completing its $8 billion merger with Skydance. Paramount initiated roughly 1,000 of a planned 2,000 layoffs company-wide on Wednesday.