Taylor Sheridan’s Call of Duty Adaptation Will Have ‘Soul,’ Director Says
Director Peter Berg says the planned Call of Duty film will explore the human cost and emotional burden of war, alongside its action. He and writer Taylor Sheridan aim to give the adaptation what Berg calls the “soul” of the Modern Warfare stories, whose soldiers are portrayed as complex people.
Paramount and Activision announced the big-budget film in 2025, promising to serve existing fans while reaching new audiences. It is scheduled to open in cinemas on 30 June 2028, after earlier efforts to bring the franchise to screen failed to come together; a Battlefield film is also in development.
In short
- Peter Berg says the film will focus on war’s human cost.
- Taylor Sheridan is writing the adaptation.
- The film is scheduled for 30 June 2028.
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The case for
A film that gives the soldiers emotional depth and attends to war’s human costs could add weight to the franchise’s action and make its characters more compelling. Drawing on the Modern Warfare stories’ portrayal of complex service members may also help the adaptation honour what fans value while introducing the series to new audiences.
The case against
A big-budget adaptation may struggle to explore war’s human cost meaningfully while also serving the expectations of an action franchise and its existing fans. There is also a risk that invoking the “soul” of the games sets a high bar: translating interactive stories and familiar characters into a film could leave both longtime players and newcomers unsatisfied.
Explained simply
Call of Duty is a long-running video game series in which players take part in military conflicts. Its Modern Warfare stories follow soldiers through fictional wars and focus on the people caught up in them as well as the fighting.
The film is being made by Paramount, the studio, and Activision, the game’s publisher. Peter Berg is directing, and Taylor Sheridan is writing; both have worked on stories about conflict and its effects on people.
Turning a popular game into a film can involve balancing what existing fans expect with what new viewers need to follow the story. The project is also part of wider competition to bring major video game series to cinemas, with a Battlefield film in development.