Co-creator of ‘Yellowstone,’ Taylor Sheridan is now officially attached to the live-action adaptation of Call of Duty, and he will be partnering with director Peter Berg. This high profile coupling immediately breathes serious creative pedigree into a project that had languished in development hell for years. Sheridan, who critics greatly laud for the modern western and political thrillers he penned, is likely going to co-write and co-produce the picture for Paramount. This shows a clear direction where the film will head; gritty, high-stake military realism that marks most of the most successful campaigns in the shooter franchise.
The announcement has finally confirmed a major next step in the long-rumored cinematic endeavor. Previous versions meant to adapt the massive gaming IP into a film had all sunk, the most memorable being the 2018 one that wanted to go ahead with Sicario 2’s director Stefano Sollima. But now that the affiliation of these two who worked in Hell or High Water and Wind River is official and designated, the adaptation sounds on its push forward gaining momentum plus artistic vision. Live action format is thus added further to that position, well marking the undertaking as one clearly aimed at blockbuster theatre scale.
The agreement between Sheridan and Berg, on the other hand, is rather indicative of the tone that they are going for. Both creators have filmographies that explore deeply the themes of valor, political intrigue, and special operations—elements right at the heart of the Call of Duty identity. Factors associating Berg’s work in combat-centric field, such as Lone Survivor and Patriots Day, could be tied in to the combat roots of the franchise. On the other hand, by producing series like Special Ops: Lioness, Sheridan is able to translate into a piece the high-level, covert military operations frequently explored in the games. Paramount’s idea seems to be prioritizing a serious, hard-edged military thriller more than associate with aesthetic values of the original material source.
It is also in the spirit of the project that Skydance have joined the distribution company responsible for the hottest successes of his kind, such as Top Gun: Maverick and the Mission: Impossible franchise. The founder and CEO of Skydance, David Ellison, a self-admitted devotee of the series, have publicly committed to the project under “same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence” that guided their biggest hits. With all these proven talents attached in both creative and logistical departments, the Call of Duty film adaptation finally seems well-placed to move beyond the slow pace its protracted history has embodied in expectations of fulfilling the incredibly high standards required by the gaming public.
