The news broke late last year that Fast and Furious and Star Trek Beyond director Justin Lin had been enlisted to helm a big-screen adaptation of Arrowhead Game Studios' popular shooter, Helldivers, and the project has now found its new lead.
Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones, Supergirl) signed on to star in February, but parted ways with the movie soon after (the reason for his exit wasn't disclosed). Now, THR reports that Reacher star Alan Ritchson is in talks to replace him.
Ritchson's star has been on the rise since he landed the title role in Prime Video's massively popular Jack Reacher adaptation, and has appeared in several well-received big-screen releases, including the recent Motor City. He can currently be seen in action comedy Runner alongside Owen Wilson.
The actor remains a popular fan pick to play Batman, and previously confirmed that he did meet with DC Studios - but not about potentially playing the Dark Knight. A rumor that Ritchson was in line to play Bane and Josh Brolin was in talks to play Slade Wilson circulated a few weeks back, and while it seems Fortress of DC may have been on to something, they appear to have mixed Ritchson's character up.
According to Jeff Sneider on a recent episode of The Hot Mic, Ritchson was actually speaking to DC about playing Deathstroke, but talks never progressed. Sneider added that there's a chance it could have been Bane, but we really don't see Gunn and Safran casting another non-Latino actor to play that character.
Gary Dauberman (It, Until Dawn) has reportedly completed his script for Helldivers.
While reporting on the initial movie announcement last year, THR noted that "Lin is not a gamer and leaned into that as a strength when pitching his take on the material, said insiders. He aims to find the humanity in the characters and weave timely themes into the story, while building out a world and mythology. There are plenty of details waiting to be drawn in, something that is compelling to the filmmaker."
Plot details are still under wraps, but the game follows an elite unit of soldiers — known as Helldivers — who battle alien creatures that are threatening to destroy the fictional planet of Super Earth. The first game launched in 2015 and was followed by a 2024 sequel, which sold over 12 million units.
The movie has set a theatrical release date of November 10, 2027.
"When mankind ventured into space, we were curious to see if anything loomed behind those stars; unfortunately, we were right. The initial contacts were peaceful, but soon the people of Super Earth realized the potential danger of communicating with alien species, and before we knew it, they started our first intergalactic war. For 40 years, the war has raged on, a conflict whereby three hostile alien species are hell-bent on a single goal: the total annihilation of the human species.
Luckily, the fighting spirit of man has not decayed since the last great war on Earth. We are now stronger than ever; man, woman and child alike are encouraged to try their strengths in the ultimate test - to have the courage to defend Super Earth."