Call Of Duty Is Officially Getting A Movie, And I Hope They Focus On This Specific Iteration

While there are many upcoming video game adaptations to be excited about, those unfamiliar with the medium may not be aware that one of the biggest franchises in the business was recently picked to be the next big Hollywood feature. Many around the world are going to be psyched to learn that the best-selling video game on a yearly basis is heading to theaters, but for me, I have one specific vision in mind.

There are dozens of Call of Duty games that have been released over the years, but I think there are only so many that would make the movie feel like something beyond just a standard war movie. I'm of the mind that Black Ops' more futuristic entries are really going to get a mainstream audience excited about seeing this. Before we get to why, though, let's get into some of the need-to-know stuff for those unaware of just how big a deal this is.

What We Know About The Call Of Duty Movie

The Call of Duty movie is being made by the recently merged collaboration of Paramount and Skydance, and CEO David Ellison is thrilled about it. He's a fan of the franchise with experience playing the games, which would seemingly bode well for those hoping that the movie doesn't feel like something entirely different from what the games are about.

At the same time, Call of Duty emulates the type of military operations one may see in some of the best action movies, so I do wonder how it'll stand apart, knowing that some of its games are rooted in real conflicts. For that reason, I'm not sure Call of Duty leaning into actual conflicts for the movie to compete with the best war movies is the right call. We don't need Call of Duty games that revisit World War II, but rather those that delve into advanced military technology that borders on sci-fi.

When it comes to Paramount and past experience with making video game adaptations, there are a couple of things to look at. One is Sonic the Hedgehog, which, despite a false start with a bad character design, has managed to get three movies made thus far and a Knuckles spinoff available with a Paramount+ subscription.

Paramount+ also developed a Halo series, which, unfortunately, was met with some criticism from fans of the franchise. Various issues with the series remaining faithful to the lore, as well as some general missteps with the series, led to its cancellation after just two seasons. I'm sure there are plenty of gamers who remember that series and will wonder if Call of Duty might make the same mistakes as it prepares to make a big screen debut.

I'd Love To See Black Ops Adapted

Call of Duty: Black Ops is a franchise that's gotten a lot of love over the years. The seventh installment of the spinoff franchise is on the way in 2025 and features a good mixture of realistic combat and military operations, mixed with cutting-edge tech that rivals some of the most ridiculous James Bond Gadgets.

Another great thing about the Black Ops franchise is that its campaigns often blend elements of real-life history with fiction. The characters in the story are often operating as CIA special operatives, working behind the scenes on missions and preventing events from unfolding that the general American public didn't know about. While I would love to see some of the more futuristic technology that pops up in the games, I do think it's important to ground the storyline in some form of reality for a mainstream audience, if only to put their butts in seats before the story goes too off the rails.

The good thing about adapting Black Ops as well is that, thus far, this particular spinoff of the game has spanned from the 1960s all the way into 2065. That will give any writer or director a vast playground to work with when it comes to the story, and if it performs as well as the games do on a consistent basis, it leaves the door open for a lot of sequels in the future.

Call Of Duty Has Used Many Celebrities For Its Games

The Call of Duty games pull in enough money to justify having a Hollywood budget, and the franchise hasn't hesitated to pull in actors you might be surprised to see in a video game. For example, Black Ops 7 is coming out this year, and has This Is Us star Milo Ventimiglia heading up the game, with other actors like Michael Rooker (fresh off of The Righteous Gemstones' final season) and The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina's Kiernan Shipka also in the cast.

That's just the latest game, however, and we've seen the likes of Jason Statham, Helena Bonham Carter, David Tennant, and Michael Madsen. Also, plenty of other actors have signed up to appear as DLC characters for multiplayer modes, including Jay and Silent Bob actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith.

All this to say, I'm kind of surprised that it's taken this long to see a studio jump on the opportunity to make a movie with the Call of Duty IP. Sure, I can imagine the pressure is going to be great for whoever makes this movie to ensure they get it right and live up to the massive expectations this franchise has cultivated for decades, but it also feels like just making the movie will print money.

Not only could it make a ton of money, but as I alluded to before, there are a ton of storylines to adapt within the Call of Duty universe. I'm not sure if a mainstream audience will be able to tolerate a movie release schedule of COD movies that measures up to how often games in the franchise are released, but there are enough games to adapt this franchise, which could rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe in available movies if there's an appetite for that to happen.

We will see how it all turns out, and eagerly await more details on the Call of Duty movie. I think seeing who will play the lead will tell me what I need to know in terms of how serious the studio is about this movie, and I have to wonder who is on the shortlist to tackle this big movie.