Activision Announces Call of Duty Movie Deal With Paramount

Activision has signed a film deal with Paramount to bring the massively popular Call of Duty franchise to the big screen. Paramount will leverage its blockbuster filmmaking expertise to create a live-action feature film, promising “an authentic and exciting experience for longtime fans and newcomers alike.”

If the first Call of Duty games were set during World War II, the annualized franchise eventually evolved into multiple sub-series, such as Modern Warfare and Black Ops. The Black Ops story arc seems to be the main focus right now, as we’ll get another Black Ops episode on November 14. It’s not clear yet which story arc the Call of Duty movie will pick up, however.

“We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided our work on Top Gun: Maverick, ensuring it meets the exceptionally high standards this franchise and its fans deserve,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount. “I can promise that we are resolute in our mission to deliver a cinematic experience that honors the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand – thrilling longtime fans of Call of Duty while captivating a whole new generation.”

Microsoft, which now owns Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, had a major box office success earlier this year with A Minecraft Movie, which grossed $953.7 million globally. The Fallout television series on Amazon Prime Video also received a lot of praise, much more than the Halo TV series on Paramount+, which was cancelled after two seasons.

While it’s easy to accuse Microsoft of mishandling a cult-classic game franchise like Halo, running an annualized game franchise like Call of Duty also comes with its own challenges. Last week, Activision said that it heard the feedback about the poorly-received cartoonish skins introduced on Black Ops 6, which will not carry forward to Black Ops 7. “Some of you have said we’ve drifted from what made Call of Duty unique in the first place: immersive, intense, visceral, and in many ways grounded. That feedback hits home, and we take it seriously,” the team said.

To please diehard Call of Duty fans, Activision and Paramount will probably need to stay true to the series’ “lore”, if there’s such a thing. “The film will honor and expand upon what has made this franchise great in the first place, and we cannot wait to get started. Our shared goal is quite simple — to create an unforgettable blockbuster movie experience that our community loves, and one that also excites and inspires new fans of the franchise,” said Rob Kostich, President of Activision.