After earlier reports that Paramount was in talks to secure the rights for a Call of Duty movie, it has now been confirmed that the project is moving ahead. Skydance’s David Ellison, Paramount’s new chairman and CEO, has described it as a passion project, citing his years as a longtime Call of Duty player.
Call of Duty has been the No. 1 best-selling video game franchise in the U.S. for 16 years, with more than 500 million total franchise sales. It’s also part of Microsoft’s gaming empire after its acquisition of Activision Blizzard King, making it the latest property under that umbrella to head for the big screen.
Paramount secures the rights for a Call of Duty movie
Paramount has officially secured the rights to develop a Call of Duty movie, making it one of the first significant projects since its $8 billion merger with Skydance Media, which was completed on August 7, 2025.
The project is described as a passion piece by David Ellison, Paramount’s chairman and CEO, who calls himself a lifelong fan of the franchise.
Activision is on board as a creative partner to help steer the film and ensure authenticity. Something they seem to be struggling with in their games as of late. President Rob Kostich has emphasized capturing the series’ trademark action and storytelling, with the goal of thrilling longtime fans while also reaching new audiences.
Throughout its history, ‘Call of Duty’ has captured our imagination with incredible action and intense stories that have brought millions of people together from around the world, and that focus on making incredible ‘Call of Duty’ games remains unwavering.
Rob Kostich – Acitivision President
Call of Duty is widely recognized as one of the most influential games of all time, cementing itself as a staple in the industry. Still, competition might be on the horizon, with Battlefield 6 releasing soon.
Xbox franchises push deeper into film and TV
It’s no surprise that more video game adaptations are popping up, as we’re finally starting to see successful examples emerge. The Minecraft Movie is the standout so far, surpassing $900 million at the global box office. Despite mixed reviews, it proved that Microsoft has the IP power to deliver big in the entertainment industry.
Perhaps a more exciting prospect is Netflix’s upcoming Gears of War movie. The script is being written by Jon Spaihts, best known for Dune and Prometheus, with David Leitch (Deadpool 2, Bullet Train) set to direct. For longtime Gears fans, it’s a promising combination that could make for a faithful and action-packed adaptation.
Of course, not every adaptation has worked out. The Halo TV series, originally developed by Showtime before moving to Paramount, ended up being an incredible disappointment for die-hard fans (myself included). It still ran for two seasons before ultimately being canceled.
It’s not all bad news for Microsoft’s other properties, though. Amazon’s Fallout TV series has been a major hit, crossing 100 million views on Prime Video. With generally positive reviews and a second season set to premiere on December 17, 2025, the show has quickly become one of the more successful game-to-screen projects.
Only time will tell
This isn’t the first time Activision has tried to take Call of Duty to the big screens; they attempted back in 2018 with director Stefano Sollima, and hoped to cast Tom Hardy and Chris Pine, but the project stalled and never made it past talks.
If done right, Call of Duty could make for a thrilling action movie. For now, though, the partnership between Paramount and Activision is still in its early days. There’s no director, cast, or release window in sight, so it will likely be a long time before fans see anything tangible. Still, Call of Duty is a massive enough IP that, if handled well, it could become another blockbuster hit in Microsoft’s growing lineup of game adaptations.
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