Call of Duty Movie Marches Forward With Writer of Yellowstone

Amid fan debates, Black Ops 7 launches Nov. 14 as EA’s Battlefield 6 release free-to-play spinoff REDSEC.

Paramount Brings Out The Big Guns

As the online war between Battlefield 6 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 rages on, the latter is at least winning the battle for the silver screen – a movie based on the game franchise is being developed by Paramount. Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone) is set to write the movie alongside Peter Berg (Patriots Day), who is down to direct.

Activision first announced the project in September, but these new details also accompany news that there are plans to branch the Call of Duty IP out into TV. As there are currently over 50 Call of Duty games it’s anyone’s guess which one will be adapted for the movie, or whether it’ll be a new story using characters from the games.

“Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly,” said David Ellison, Chairman and CEO of Paramount, in a press release in September. “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.”

“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.”

Military Shooters Fight For Dominance

Activision is currently running adverts for the upcoming Black Ops 7 that have been dividing the fanbase almost as much as the overall Battlefield 6 versus Call of Duty rivalry does. While players are accusing Activision of being out of touch with fans, EA is getting praised for giving gamers what they want – including a surprise free-to-play battle royale version of Battlefield 6, called REDSEC.

Where the Battlefield series largely stays within realistic military confines, Call of Duty has gradually moved over into more overt sci-fi territory, which in turn opens up the possibilities for the movie adaptation to merge genres. The Black Ops offshoot, which started in 2010, was initially set during the Cold War but moved into a ‘near-future’ setting with Black Ops 2. Black Ops 7 is set in 2035 and features robots, including one players can pilot called the Rhino.

Black Ops 7 releases on Nov. 14 across all major platforms; a recent Forbes article that suggested gamers with the premium Vault Edition would get early access has since been refuted by Activision.

Sheridan And Berg Know Their Stuff

Taylor Sheridan’s most recent TV projects were Landman and Mayor of Kingstown, the former starring Billy Bob Thornton and the latter Jeremy Renner. Sheridan made a name for himself writing Western-flavored movies like Hell or High Water (2016) and Wind River (2017), although he’s also acted in popular shows such as Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars.

Peter Berg might be best known for his acting role in Chicago Hope in the nineties, although as a director he’s behind well-known movies like Deep Water Horizon (2016) and the recent TV series American Primeval.

The Call of Duty movie is set to be produced by 101 Studios, which handles Sheridan properties like Yellowstone and Landman, alongside critically-acclaimed TV show The Agency, and the forthcoming Lawmen: Bass Reeves.

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