Video game movies have historically struggled to achieve critical or commercial success, with many labeling these failures as a longstanding curse. Starting with the 1993 Super Mario Bros. film starring Bob Hoskins and John Leguizamo, these adaptations often disappointed audiences and critics alike. The Mario movie holds a 28% score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it one of the least well-received films based on video games, while 1994’s Street Fighter fared even worse with an 11% rating. Despite this, recent adaptations and related projects have signaled a potential shift in quality and reception for the genre.
This change has sparked debate about what truly ended the video game movie curse. Some highlight the success of Wreck-It Ralph, though it is about video games rather than a direct adaptation. Others credit HBO’s The Last of Us for elevating expectations, even if it is a television series. The Sonic the Hedgehog films, especially Sonic the Hedgehog 3 with its 86% Rotten Tomatoes score, stand as some of the best-reviewed video game movies to date. With this improved climate, studios are now more willing to take on popular franchises such as Call of Duty, the consistently best-selling first-person shooter series.
How Taylor Sheridan’s Past Work Aligns with the Call of Duty Film
Paramount recently acquired the rights to turn Call of Duty into a feature film, choosing Taylor Sheridan, creator of the hit series Yellowstone, to co-write the script with director Peter Berg. While Steven Spielberg was rumored to have been in talks to direct, his desire for full creative control ultimately prevented that collaboration. Sheridan and Berg have a history of successful partnerships, including the critically acclaimed 2016 Western Hell or High Water and the intense 2017 crime thriller Wind River.
Beyond these, Sheridan’s connection to action-packed narratives similar to Call of Duty is underscored by his involvement with the 2015 film Sicario, directed by Denis Villeneuve. Sicario’s high-tension story about CIA operations against Mexican drug cartels mirrors the intensity and military action commonly found in Call of Duty campaigns, making it a fitting blueprint for the film adaptation.
Sicario as an Ideal Model for a Call of Duty Movie
Sicario is a gripping thriller that follows FBI agent Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), who becomes entangled in a covert CIA operation targeting a Mexican drug cartel. The mission centers around a joint task force comprising CIA officers, Delta Force soldiers, Deputy US Marshals, and a mysterious Mexican prosecutor, Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro). This combination of characters and the moral complexity of the mission reflects the immersive, mission-driven storytelling that fans expect from Call of Duty campaigns.
By the end of Sicario, Macer is deeply disillusioned and emotionally impacted, reflecting the gritty realism often found in modern military thrillers. Its sequel, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, introduces the threat of ISIS terrorists, which parallels certain story arcs in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. In fact, some character names from the game—such as Alejandro and Graves—echo those in the Sicario films, suggesting direct inspiration. This connection hints that the film adaptation could capture the layered narratives and intense action sequences synonymous with the game series.
Taylor Sheridan’s Broader Body of Work and Its Military Focus
Sheridan’s experience extends well beyond Yellowstone and Sicario. He has created several other notable series, including Yellowstone prequels 1883 and 1923—both Western dramas featuring stars like Harrison Ford and Tim McGraw—as well as crime dramas such as Mayor of Kingstown, Tulsa King, and Landman. Yet, it is his spec-ops thriller Lioness that closely aligns with the military themes of Call of Duty.
Lioness centers on CIA agent Joe McNamara, portrayed by Zoe Saldaña, who manages a program training female special ops soldiers to infiltrate dangerous organizations worldwide. The military action, covert operations, and global scope of Lioness resonate strongly with what audiences anticipate from a Call of Duty film.
Though Sheridan’s calendar remains packed with numerous projects, his successes with Sicario and Lioness suggest he is well-prepared to handle the demands of adapting Call of Duty into an action-packed, emotionally charged movie. His style favors intense, over-the-top military thrillers that should appeal to the franchise’s fanbase.
What to Expect for the Future of the Call of Duty Film
While details of the film’s plot are still under wraps, it is widely anticipated that the story will draw from the Modern Warfare timeline, fitting well with Sheridan and Berg’s expertise in crafting tense, military-oriented narratives. Fans of such storylines can also find a thematic kinship in The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, a TV show starring Taylor Kitsch and Tom Hopper that echoes the tone and style of Call of Duty campaigns.
Though Spielberg remains a legendary figure who might one day direct a World War II-themed Call of Duty movie, this first attempt under Sheridan and Berg aims to break barriers that video game movies have long struggled with. Given the track records and storytelling approaches involved, this film could mark a turning point for cinematic adaptations of video game franchises.
“I’d love to see Steven Spielberg make a WW2-themed Call of Duty in the future.” ?Anonymous Author
“It’s grim, but it’s exactly the kind of story you’d find in a Call of Duty campaign—only better.” ?Anonymous Author
