Why Activision Turned Down Steven Spielberg's Request To Direct The Call Of Duty Movie

Steven Spielberg is one of the greatest, most beloved filmmakers of all time. He's the man that directed both "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" in the same year. One of those films went on to become the highest-grossing movie of all time up to that point, while the other won the Best Picture Oscar. There's really nothing he can't do when he's firing on all cylinders. That's why it might be surprising to learn that when he pitched a "Call of Duty" film, Activision turned him down.

We only just learned that Paramount has made a deal with Activision to produce a live-action "Call of Duty" movie. Skydance merged with Paramount earlier this year, and it's looking to make a splash as Hollywood's latest media conglomerate. Activision, which is now owned by Microsoft, is also looking to expand the scope of its most successful franchises. When the deal was announced, no talent was attached. But before the deal went through, Spielberg made his plea to be the one to take this beloved video game series to the big screen.

As reported by Puck, Spielberg and his team at Amblin made a pitch to Activision to present his vision for the "Call of Duty" movie. Universal dealmaker Jimmy Horowitz was on board as well. The problem? It would've been Spielberg's way or the highway. That means he would've gotten a big payday, final cut on the film, and full control over production and marketing alike. Activision was reportedly "spooked" by handing over so much control. So, it instead went with David Ellison's pitch for Paramount, which offered the gaming company more creative control throughout the process.

On the one hand, given Hollywood's long history of making bad video game adaptations, Activision's stance makes sense. That's part of the reason why Rockstar never made a "Grand Theft Auto" movie. A studio taking full artistic control over something that can change the image of a multi-billion-dollar property is a huge risk. That having been said, this wasn't just anybody wanting control. This was Steven f*****g Spielberg.

For one, Spielberg's bonafides as a filmmaker are just about unmatched. Commercially, he's the highest-grossing director ever at the box office. He's also been nominated for Best Director at the Oscars nine times, winning twice for "Schindler's List" and, perhaps more importantly, "Saving Private Ryan." The "Call of Duty" games, particularly in the early days when they were more World War II focused, have very much played off of what Spielberg accomplished with his acclaimed 1998 war drama.

Beyond that, Spielberg isn't just seeking popular media to adapt into another war movie. He's an avid gamer who plays "Call of Duty" and even created the once-popular "Medal of Honor" gaming franchise. This isn't merely some big-name director trying to hook into something popular late into his career. This is one of the greatest filmmakers to ever live who seemingly has a very real passion for the source material. Activision had every right to be protective over its IP, but if there's one person you trust to make a big-budget war movie without question, it's probably Spielberg.

As mentioned, Paramount and Activision have yet to announce a writer or director for their "Call of Duty" movie. Meanwhile, Spielberg is currently busy filming his mysterious new alien movie. In theory, then, there is nothing preventing Paramount from trying to circle back to Spielberg, assuming it can somehow come to terms on the creative part of the deal with Activision's blessing. It doesn't seem likely, but stranger things have happened. Regardless, whoever does sign on will have to live with the asterisk in the history books that notes, "This could have been a Spielberg movie, you know?" if it falls short. We'll see how things shake out.

The "Call of Duty" movie doesn't have a release date at the moment, but stay tuned.