Netflix is Working on Gears of War Film and Animated Series

Netflix is working with game developer The Coalition to adapt the Gears of War franchise into a film and animated series. The streaming platform announced the news yesterday on the 16th anniversary of the Gears of War franchise, but details about the casting and production team are not known yet.

Gears of War used to be known as one of the three major first-party Xbox IPs alongside Halo and Forza. The original Gears of War trilogy developed by Epic Games during the Xbox 360 era received critical acclaim, and Microsoft’s internal studio The Coalition took over the franchise during the Xbox One era with Gears of War 4 and 5.

Gears of War was released 16 years ago today and to mark the occasion, Netflix has partnered with The Coalition to adapt the @GearsofWar video game saga into a live action feature film, followed by an adult animated series — with the potential for more stories to follow! pic.twitter.com/3zInFSnUu4

— Netflix (@netflix) November 7, 2022

The Gears of War series tells the story of the years-long conflict between humanity and the Locust Horde, a race of subterranean creatures that first emerged on the fictional planet of Sera. The franchise is known for its violence (the main weapon in the games has a chainsaw attached to it) and comically muscular leading characters.

In recent years, the Gears of War series has already been adapted into other media forms including novels, a comic-book series, and a board game. A film project has also been in the talks for many years, but Netflix will finally make it happen.

Adapting video games into film or TV shows is often a risky bet: The Halo TV series on Paramount+ received a polarized reception, while the Resident Evil series on Netflix received pretty bad reviews. However, the recent Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime series on Netflix was a rare exception, and the Cyberpunk 2077 game it’s based on enjoyed a real renaissance following its release.

Gears of War may not get the same level of recognition as Halo or other blockbuster game franchises these days, but it does have a really passionate fanbase. Despite some dramatic storylines, the games also have a B-movie tone that probably deserves to be explored even further in another medium.

Anyway, it’s interesting that Netflix is working on both feature film and animated series adaptations of the Gears of War franchise. Unfortunately, Netflix is also known for canceling shows that don’t get enough momentum at the end of the first season. The Halo TV series on Paramount+, however, has already been renewed for a second season.