Paramount, fresh off its merger with Skydance, has recently announced that they've secured the film rights to Activision's Call of Duty and plans to produce a live-action film.
However, according ot a new report from Puck, shortly before that deal was struck, Activision had another offer on the table, and it was from none other than Steven Spielberg.
According to the report. Spielberg (Jaws, Saving Private Ryan), a noted fan of shooter video games, and his team at Amblin Pictures pitched a Call of Duty movie to Activision relatively shortly before they agreed to its deal with Paramount, and it was Spielberg's pitch that made Activison go with the other option.
The esteemed director reportedly wanted full control over the film's production, including how it would be marketed, something that reportedly "spooked" Activision's senior executives.
Paramount ultimately secured the deal with Activision by offering a more collaborative deal that gave the video game publisher much more input.
Spielberg has a storied history with video game shooters, as he was reportedly watching his son play GoldenEye 007 and was struck by inspiration to make a game that eventually led to the Medal of Honor video game series. Many of the programmers and creatives who worked on Medal of Honor would go on to form Infinity Ward, the studio that made the first Call of Duty game.
Thus, in an admittedly roundabout way, one could make the argument that Spielberg was somewhat involved in the creation of Call of Duty, only to later be told that its studio leadership didn't think he would be the right fit to direct a film adaptation.
For their part, Paramount seems excited to have secured the Call of Duty rights, with its CEO David Ellison recently issuing a press statement, "As a lifelong fan of Call of Duty, this is truly a dream come true. From the first Allied campaigns in the original Call of Duty, through Modern Warfare and Black Ops, I’ve spent countless hours playing this franchise that I absolutely love. Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly.”
For film enthusiasts, passing on the director who helmed Saving Private Ryan seems like a bold choice and one that will be instantly second-guessed if Paramount's adaptation fails to meet fan expectations. Gamers are unlikely to forget this decision if the Call of Duty movie underperforms.