Call of Duty movie takes shape with these high-profile filmmakers

Activision and Paramount Pictures are officially moving forward with the long-anticipated Call of Duty movie, and the project now has two powerhouse names confirmed.

Oscar-nominated filmmakers Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan will spearhead the adaptation of the most popular first-person shooter franchise. Berg and Sheridan will co-write and produce the film together, with the former set to be the director.

“Call of Duty, one of the most successful video game franchises of all time, is becoming a feature film with Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan spearheading the adaptation,” Paramount Pictures and Activision announced on Thursday, Oct. 30.

The CoD live action adaptation marks another high-profile collaboration between the two filmmakers, who previously worked together on Hell or High Water, which got four Academy Awards nominations, as well as another crime film, Wind River.

Peter Berg, Taylor Sheridan bring signature grit to Call of Duty movie

Berg is best known for directing Lone Survivor, Deepwater Horizon, and Patriots Day. He also created and produced the Emmy-nominated series Friday Night Lights, and recently helmed Netflix’s Painkiller and American Primeval.

His latest film, The Mosquito Bowl, an epic World War II drama based on Buzz Bissinger’s best-selling book, recently wrapped production. Berg is also producing a reboot of Friday Night Lights, further solidifying his place among Hollywood’s most versatile storytellers. He brings his reputation for high-intensity, emotionally charged filmmaking to the Call of Duty live action adaptation.

Sheridan, known for his work on Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, 1883, and 1923, will write and produce the CoD film. Praised for his grounded yet cinematic approach, the Emmy-nominated producer and Academy Award-nominated screenwriter has become one of most in-demand storytellers.

Sheridan recently signed a massive deal with NBCUniversal valued at roughly $1 billion, but it will not take effect until his current contract with Paramount concludes in 2028. Until then, he remains embedded with the studio, developing multiple series and films.

Paramount CEO David Ellison previously said that the studio is approaching the 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.”

Activision president Rob Kostich added: “The film will honor and expand upon what has made this franchise great in the first place, and we cannot wait to get started. 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.”

Since debuting in 2003, CoD has sold over 500 million copies worldwide and has been the top selling video game series in the U.S. for 16 consecutive years. The franchise spans a wide range of eras and storylines, from World War II to modern-day conflicts and Cold War conspiracies, leaving fans divided over which timeline the film should explore.

With Sheridan and Berg at the helm, the Call of Duty movie is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious, and possibly defining, video game adaptations to date.