Call Of Duty's Biggest Video Game Rival Is Also Getting A Movie (With A Perfect Director)

Begun, the video game adaptation wars have. After the last decade and change has been dominated by superhero action on the big and small screens, Hollywood's next major pivot is becoming abundantly clear: video games. Practically every major studio is busy getting its ducks in a row over whichever valuable IP it happens to have under its respective umbrella, from Prime Video with "Fallout" and "God of War" to HBO with "The Last of Us" to Universal with its "Super Mario" shared universe. Most recently, Paramount announced its plans to get in on the action with "Call of Duty," but that, in turn, seems to have spurred a bit of a friendly rivalry, as yet another, and related, major video game adaptation is now in the works.

The Hollywood Reporter has the news that "Battlefield," the popular shooter franchise from Electronic Arts, is set to receive its own buzzy live-action treatment — and, what's more, this is coming with quite a creative team already on board. In an impending deal that speaks to the industry's "spare no expense" approach to this growing moneymaker, "Mission: Impossible" writer/director Christopher McQuarrie is reported to be writing, directing, and producing a movie adaptation of "Battlefield" with Oscar-winning "Sinners" actor Michael B. Jordan attached to produce and possibly star.

Now, for the caveats. We say "impending deal" because McQuarrie is currently shopping this around to interested suitors, with THR pinpointing Apple and Sony Pictures by name (though with more meetings to come). Similarly, expect development to swing wildly depending on whether Jordan chooses to actually add his star power to the project in front of the camera. Either way, this might as well be a direct response to the "Call of Duty" news and one that's sure to hold shoot-em-up gamers everywhere in thrall.

As of now, there are no indications as to which studio might snap up this prize and essentially launch what could very well be another long-running movie franchise built atop the "Battlefield" IP. However, the possibilities are certainly enough to send comically large dollar signs up into the eyes of many an executive. THR reports that Electronic Arts will also be a producer on this project, likely maintaining some form of creative control over the adaptation.

But that itself raises another important question: What the heck will a "Battlefield" movie even look like? In a way, it's similar to the conundrum faced by Paramount and Taylor Sheridan on "Call of Duty." First created back in 2002 and evolving steadily in the years since to reflect more modern gaming trends, "Battlefield" is another first-person shooter that's become heavily reliant on multiplayer action and a dearth of actual story-led campaigns. Then again, who better to solve an issue like that than the man who wrangled all the marketing-friendly stunts of "Mission: Impossible" into a halfway cohesive narrative extending from movie to movie, culminating in last year's (possible) finale "Final Reckoning." If anyone can figure out how to pull off a similar trick with "Battlefield," it's Chris McQuarrie.

Clearly, studios must be impressed by whatever story that McQuarrie and Michael B. Jordan are selling — which could take place anywhere between World War II and the future, based on the various games. Adding yet another wrinkle to the mix? It's well within the realm of possibility that Paramount itself could end up a suitor for the rights to this production, potentially giving it a mini-monopoly over first-person shooter adaptations between this and "Call of Duty." Stay tuned!