Following David Ellison’s Skydance acquiring Paramount a few weeks ago, the studio has been ramping up deals (eg. UFC, Legendary) and aggressively making IP plays.
Now, Puck News is reporting that Paramount is negotiating to acquire film rights to one of the biggest game properties out there – Activision’s “Call of Duty” franchise.
No talent is presently attached. It’s tough to translate a first-person shooter known for its multiplayer into a richly scripted narrative feature, but the project is said to be a priority for Ellison and studio chiefs Dana Goldberg and Josh Greenstein.
Paramount is reportedly keen on youth-skewing game franchises to adapt and already has a success story on that front in the form of the “Sonic the Hedgehog” films, which are getting a fourth entry in 2027.
“Call of Duty” is the most successful video game franchise created in the United States and the third best-selling video game franchise of all time behind only “Mario” and “Tetris” and ahead of “Pokemon,” “Grand Theft Auto” and “Minecraft”.
Multiple game-to-film and game-to-TV series titles are currently in the works along with sequels and new seasons to existing ones. These all span franchises like “Mortal Kombat,” “Resident Evil,” “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” “Street Fighter,” “The Legend of Zelda,” “Silent Hill,” “Super Mario Bros.,” “The Last of Us,” “Fallout,” “Mass Effect,” “God of War,” “Metal Gear,” “Days Gone,” “Horizon: Zero Dawn,” “Just Cause,” “Ghost of Tsushima,” “Death Stranding,” “Elden Ring,” “Helldivers,” “Watch Dogs,” “Dead by Daylight,” “Outlast,” “Portal,” “Duke Nukem,” “Dredge,” “Kingmakers,” “Riders Republic,” “Shinobi,” “Ghost Recon,” Streets of Rage,” “Pacman,” “Exit 8,” “OutRun,” “The Medium,” and “Stray”.
