At this point, most have heard of the video game movie curse. Every year major Hollywood studios come out with a film that fans hope will buck the trend of below average video game adaptations and every time they fail. Activision-Blizzard has felt this sting previously with itsWarcraftfilm and yet its grand cinematic plans forCall Of Dutyshows no signs of stopping. After possiblyfinding its directorin Stefano Sollima, fans now have an idea of who might star in the adaptation.
While speaking toMetro Newsin Milan, theSicario 2: Soldadodirector hinted that popular action actors Tom Hardy and Chris Pine would be at the top of his list for aCall Of Dutyfilm, admitting he “loved” their work. When discussing Hardy he expressed admiration at his previous efforts and acclaimed Pine’s versatility saying “He’s tough, but he’s smart and he can have a sense of humor but he can also be in such a dramatic role”
It’s hard to argue against either of the director’s choices. Hardy has established himself as one of the most popular actors in the business and would be more than up to the task. With roles in films likeMad Max: Fury RoadorInception,not to mention his role in the recent war filmDunkirk, Hardy would be a welcome addition to the film. It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time the actor has been linked to a video game role, with Hardy set to play Sam Fisher the dormantSplinter Celladaptaion.
Much of the same can be said for Pine. The actor has become widely known thanks to his turns as James T. Kirk and Steve Trevor in the rebootedStar Trekfilms andWonder Womanrespectively. If rumors of acinematic universe plan based onCall Of Dutyare true, then Pine’s previous franchise experience could be a welcome addition.
All of this comes at an interesting time for the popular shooter franchise. After a decline in audience reception over several games, the series is seeing a resurgence with the recent installmentCall Of Duty: World War 2.Activision-Blizzard will no doubt be looking to keep the recent hype for the franchise going, so it’s important anything wearing theCall Of Dutyname lives up to that hype. While it’s not clear what setting and narrative the film will go with, there is plenty of interesting source material to work from.
In any case, the film is sure to face some stiff competition from other video game adaptations in the years to come. With theTomb Raiderrebootcoming this year, andDetective Pikachu, Minecraft,andUnchartedall on the way,Call of Dutyis going to need to deliver, or become just another victim of the video game movie curse.
Call of Duty: WW2is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
