Paramount and Activision are assembling an elite squad for the recently announced Call of Duty movie. Following news that Paramount Pictures is developing a live-action movie based on Activision's blockbuster first-person shooter video game series, the studio provided a new update today regarding the film's writer and director.
The big announcement is the involvement of Taylor Sheridan. The Academy Award-nominated screenwriter and Emmy-nominated producer will write and produce the film. Sheridan is one of Hollywood's biggest names, having created, written, directed, and executive-produced multiple record-breaking series for Paramount Network, including Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, 1883, 1923, Lioness, and Landman.
Sheridan recently signed a major new film and television deal with NBCUniversal, but that won't start until 2029 after his Paramount contract ends in 2028. In the meantime, he's currently working on multiple other projects that are in various stages of development and production, including F.A.S.T., an original thriller set to release in April 2027.
His next series, The Madison, starring Michelle Pfeiffer, Kurt Russell, and Matthew J Fox, is also currently in production and set to premiere in late 2025 or early 2026, although no official release date has been announced. He's also developing The Dutton Ranch, a Yellowstone spin-off starring Kelly Reilly and Cole Hauser, which is expected to be released in 2026.
Joining Sheridan on the Call of Duty film is the renowned filmmaker Peter Berg. An accomplished director, producer, writer, and actor, Berg is best known for creating and executive producing the Emmy-nominated series Friday Night Lights and directing acclaimed films such as Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day.
Through his first-look deal with Netflix, Berg directed the limited series Painkiller and American Primeval. He also wrote, directed, and produced The Mosquito Bowl, an epic World War II drama based on Buzz Bissinger’s bestselling book, which recently wrapped production. Additionally, Berg is executive producing a reboot of Friday Night Lights.
This actually isn't the first time Sheridan and Berg are teaming up. The longtime friends previously collaborated on Hell or High Water. The 2016 western thriller received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
Suffice it to say, this is an incredible pairing for Paramount’s highly anticipated Call of Duty movie. While video game adaptations can be hit or miss, there’s added pressure to deliver with a franchise as massive as Call of Duty, which has been the No. 1 best-selling video game series in the United States for 16 consecutive years and has sold over 500 million copies worldwide.
It's unclear if the movie will feature an original story or if it will adapt the plot to one of the franchise's subseries, such as Black Ops or Modern Warfare. When announcing plans for the adaptation earlier this month, Paramount CEO David Ellison promised they were 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."
"The film will honor and expand upon what has made this franchise great in the first place, and we cannot wait to get started," added Activision president Rob Kostich. "Our shared goal is quite simple — to create an unforgettable blockbuster movie experience that our community loves, and one that also excites and inspires new fans of the franchise.”