Paramount has struck a deal with Microsoft-owned Activision Blizzard to develop a live-action Call of Duty feature. Under the partnership, Paramount will develop, produce and distribute the film.

Neither studio has announced a director, cast or release window.

The move revives a long proposed but never previously greenlit adaptation. It also signals David Ellison’s intent to lean on tentpole IP after the Skydance–Paramount tie-up.

In August, David Ellison’s Skydance Media, a production company, closed a merger with Paramount.

Ellison, now Paramount’s chairman and CEO, has framed the project as being in the tradition of Top Gun: Maverick. That seems to mean the film won’t be a cheap brand cash-in, but rather a flagship product.

How that plan will be executed remains to be seen, but Ellison is obviously hoping Call of Duty: The Movie will deliver the sort of positive press and supersized profits Maverick did when it was released in 2022.

Half a billion gamers could be heading to the cinema soon

It’s not an unrealistic ambition.

Call of Duty has sold 500m+ copies worldwide, which is a substantial built-in audience.

Plus, game-to-screen adaptations have been performing strongly of late.

See The Last of Us and Fallout on streaming or Super Mario and Minecraft in cinemas.

If Paramount creates a watchable military action flick with coherent human stakes, it gets a franchise platform. If it fumbles, it’ll join the pile of failed shooter adaptations

“As a lifelong fan of Call of Duty this is truly a dream come true,” Ellison said in a statement, “I’ve spent countless hours playing this franchise that I absolutely love… I can promise that we are resolute in our mission to deliver a cinematic experience that honours the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand.”