Another huge video game franchise is coming to the big screen as Paramount and Microsoft-owned Activision have reached a deal for a “Call of Duty” feature film.
Paramount said in a news release Tuesday that it will develop, produce, and distribute the live-action feature film based on the 22-year-old first-person shooter military video game.
“Call of Duty” is one of the most successful video game franchises of all-time. It’s been the best-selling video game series in the U.S. for 16 consecutive years, with over 500 million copies sold globally.
Paramount Chairman and CEO David Ellison called himself a “lifelong fan” of the franchise and said the deal was “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,” Ellison said in a statement.
Paramount is the studio behind the 2022 action drama “Top Gun: Maverick,” and Ellison said, “We’re approaching [‘Call of Duty’] with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence” that guided work on that film.
Paramount officially merged with Skydance Media, the company previously led by Ellison, in August.
Microsoft’s $75 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard cleared its final Federal Trade Commission hurdle earlier this year.
Another Microsoft-owned video game franchise made its way to theaters this year — “A Minecraft Movie,” starring Jason Momoa, Jack Black and others, was based on the 2011 game from Mojang Studios.
Activision Blizzard Studios was working on a “Call of Duty” film back in 2018, but it never got off the ground.
Along with “Call of Duty,” Activision also produces “World of Warcraft,” “Candy Crush,” and other blockbuster video game franchises.
