A while back, Activision made a promise to turn its hit Call of Duty game franchise into one that would equally compel in movie theaters, with the potential of a cinematic universe. And it looks like, thus far, it’s starting to stack up talent to make that possible.
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Earlier this year, rumors surfaced that the company was in talks with Sicario 2: Soldado director Stefano Sollima to direct a Call of Duty film, with a hiring following just a few weeks later. And now it’s moving forward on a second production surrounding the franchise, this time with writer Joe Robert Cole on board.
If that name sounds familiar, Cole lent his talent to the recent Marvel blockbuster Black Panther, alongside director Ryan Coogler.
The news comes from this Variety report, with Activision Blizzard Studios now planning on different stories to be told from the Call of Duty world for the big-screen. Details aren’t available just yet, as it’s looking to plan things out meticulously so that it captures the same essence of excitement and drama as the games.
Casting hasn’t been revealed yet for either film in the Call of Duty franchise, but the studio is looking to set the first picture into production sometime in 2019, and wants a studio script for the second film set to go around the same time.
The productions will see Activision Blizzard Studios presidents Stacey Sher and Nick van Dyk as producers, alongside chief executive Bobby Kotick and Coco Francini.
Cole has been quite busy since Black Panther struck gold at the box office, working on projects like Failsafe and All Day and a Night for Netflix. But the new Call of Duty project shows he’s ready to move forward into action-based writing yet again.
More than likely, we probably won’t hear about progress on either Call of Duty film until at least sometime next summer, when Activision is likely to make mention of them possibly during E3 or a promo event for Infinity Ward’s forthcoming Call of Duty game, which is slated to arrive in late 2019. From there, we may see more movies announced under the franchise.
For now, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 is stirring up quite a storm on the retail front, selling millions of copies with its multiplayer modes being its biggest draw. You can check it out now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC.
(Hat tip to Variety for the scoop!)
