It certainly seems we are entering another era of video game-to-film adaptations in the works. Nintendo is building off the success of The Super Mario Bros. Movie to launch its own cinematic world. Sequels to Mortal Kombat and Five Nights at Freddy’s are just on the horizon. The Street Fighter and Silent Hill franchises are set for a guaranteed relaunch, and properties like Elden Ring, Horizon Zero Dawn, and BioShock are all planned to have adaptations in the works. Things have never been better for video game fans — well, if you push Borderlands and Until Dawn adaptations aside — and now FPS (first-person shooter) fans have a major franchise to look forward to on the big screen: Call of Duty.
What will the Call of Duty movie look like? Who will be helming the project? When will it be released? All of this information will have to be tempered with what little details we have at the moment, but there is certainly a good direction the franchise could take in adapting the Black Ops games.
Why ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops’ Would Be the Perfect Starting Point for a Film Franchise
Call of Duty: Black Ops is generally recognized among fans for its focus on a deeply engaging single-player campaign set during the Cold War. While all the Call of Duty games have single-player elements, Black Ops is more focused on delivering its campaign compared to, say, a Modern Warfare game, which is more geared toward the online experience.
The first Black Ops game also features notable characters, such as Alex Mason and Frank Woods, which could be ideal for tapping into the existing fandom, while utilizing its gripping story of high-stakes global espionage to bring in the mainstream audience. If the adaptation succeeds, the series could naturally lead into the second game, allowing filmmakers to keep audiences guessing with its branching storylines and multiple endings. This would give the franchise some creative freedom to adapt the story for a sequel, building on what worked in the first installment, and sticking to a narrative that gamers will appreciate.
Of course, a title like Modern Warfare would likely give the studio more modern toys to play with than setting its story in the Cold War era. Additionally, it can be challenging to predict how a project will be handled. Will it aim to appease existing fans or look for a new audience? Will it succeed with one approach or fail with both? Let’s hope Borderlands‘ legacy, if anything, is to remind Hollywood how not to adapt a video game in a way that disappoints everyone and is made for no one.
What We Know So Far About the ‘Call of Duty’ Movie
While we eagerly await a hopeful announcement that the story from the 2010s Black Ops will take center stage, no release date, cast, director, or plot details have been revealed yet. All fans have is an official announcement of the project along with some promising words from Paramount CEO David Ellison, who has stated, “We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided our work on Top Gun: Maverick.” (via Reuters).
While this statement seems promising, there are still many more steps to take before the project is realized. Notably, while Paramount and the makers of the game, Activision Blizzard, appear to have reached an agreement on adapting the global hit gaming franchise for the screen, they will need to align with Microsoft’s vision for the property as well before moving forward. When (and if) production moves forward and more details are given, we can’t wait to see what direction the project takes. In the meantime, we can only hope that they will make the right decision and focus on adapting Black Ops.
