With how popular recentCall of Dutygames likeCOD: Modern WarfareandCOD Mobilehave been, it can be easy to forget that Activision has been trying to make aCall of Dutymoviefor the last few years. That might not be the case anymore, however, because word on the street is that the project has been put on hold, relegating it to Activision’s backburner indefinitely.
Fans who hadn’t forgotten about the movie may have figured by this point that something was amiss. Despite being originally targeted for a 2018-2019 release window, that period came and went without much in the way of solid updates. One of the more recent updates, from mid-2018, suggested that the project was still in its early days, with the movie’s director, Stefano Sollima, claiming thatCall of Dutywould be a “real movie"that will avoid the stigma of most video game film adaptations.
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It’s actually Sollima (Sicario: Day of the Soldado) himself who made the claim about the movie being put on hold. During a recent interview with Italian film site Badtaste, he stated that theCall of Dutymovie is no longer a priority for Activision and is now “in limbo.” Additionally, he revealed that Scott Silver, who wrote the screenplay for the critically-acclaimed filmJoker, wrote a script for the movie.
Over four years have passed since theCODmovie was revealed alongside the announcement of a new Activision film and TV division. Back then, the company made it clear that it was trying toestablish a Marvel-style cinematic universeforCall of Duty, something many studios back in 2015 were trying to do with their own brands in light of how popular Marvel’s interconnected superhero movies had become. Now that the movie has been delayed and ultimately put on hold, that likely won’t be happening anytime soon.
While Sollima didn’t specify the reasons for it, one can assume it’s ultimately a simple business move on Activision’s part. A movie likeCall of Dutyis designed first and foremost as a means to market a brand to a larger audience. That’s not a problem theCODfranchise has, being as it has one of the largest audiences of any franchise in any medium andgenerated more money than even the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
Chances are Activision just eventually decided that a big-budget movie, the type that would’ve easily cost over $100 million to produce, wasn’t necessary with how immensely successful theCall of Dutyvideo games are. In all likelihood, the games will continue to make huge amounts of cash as they continue their annual release schedule, even though recent reports have claimed thatActivision doesn’t have high expectations for 2020’sCall of Duty.
Call of Dutyis reportedly on hold at Activision-Blizzard Studios.
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