Activision Plans on Building a CALL OF DUTY Cinematic Universe!
We've known for awhile that Activision was planning on developing a Call of Duty film franchise. They announced their initial plans about a year ago and we haven't had any updates since. Now today we've learned that they've been developing something big for the property. According to Activision Blizzard Studios co-presidents Stacey Sher (Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, The Hateful Eight ) and Nick Van Dyk, they plan on building a Call fo Duty cinematic universe. This is obviously inspired by the formula that Marvel has found success in with their own movies and TV shows.
While speaking with The Guardian, Sher revealed that they have long-term plans in place for the property that will encompass both movies and TV series. She explains:
“We have plotted out many years. We put together this group of writers to talk about where we were going. There’ll be a film that feels more like Black Ops, the story behind the story. The Modern Warfare series looks at what it’s like to fight a war with the eyes of the world on you. And then maybe something that is more of a hybrid, where you are looking at private, covert operations, while a public operation is going on.”
Right there, she's already given us what three of the films that they are developing. The report goes on to say that the projects "will draw on the feel of the different incarnations of the game rather than transposing existing plots." Van Dyk adds:
“It’s going to have the same sort of high-adrenaline, high-energy aesthetic as the game, but it’s not a literal adaptation. It’s a much more broad and inclusive, global in scope … a big, tentpole Marvel-esque movie.”
This is exactly what I've been saying Paramount Pictures should do with the G.I. Joe franchise! It'll be interesting to see how this will all play out, but I'm really excited for it because I love the Call of Duty game franchise.
Marvel has found success with their cinematic universe formula and everyone else wants in on the action. As long as they pump out quality films with decent scripts and great storytelling, people will keep coming back for more. With Van Dyk on board, there's a good chance that Call of Duty could see that success. He played a big role in acquiring Marvel and Lucasfilm for Disney and helping them become the powerhouse properties they are today.
There are so many characters that they could use and create to play with and so many stories that they could tell in the Call of Duty universe. This could easily sustain a cinematic universe if handled correctly.
As far as the TV aspect of the franchise goes, they are looking at "a TV series focused on historical conflicts such as World War 2 and Vietnam, which is how the Call of Duty franchise started, again mirroring Marvel’s four series on Netflix: Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist."
Awesome! I'm in, and I can't wait to see what they do with this! They hope to release the first installment of the film franchise go into production in 2018 and release it within a couple of years. What do you all think about Activision building a Call of Duty cinematic universe?