Paramount is officially bringing Call of Duty out of the gaming chair and onto the big screen. The studio revealed this week that it has struck a deal with Activision Blizzard, now owned by Microsoft, to develop and distribute a live-action film inspired by the blockbuster first-person shooter series.
David Ellison, chairman and CEO of Paramount, described the project as something personal. “As a longtime Call of Duty player, this is a dream come true,” he said. “From the historic Allied campaigns to the intensity of Modern Warfare and Black Ops, I’ve spent countless hours with this franchise. Now we get to reimagine that experience for cinema.”
Both companies stressed their intention to stay true to what has made Call of Duty such a global phenomenon. Paramount and Activision confirmed the film will lean into the franchise’s gritty storytelling and signature style of action. The numbers show why the brand is so valuable: it has been the top-selling video game franchise in the United States for 16 years straight, with more than 500 million copies sold worldwide.
Ellison added that the creative team’s goal is to deliver “a cinematic event that respects the legacy of the games while introducing it to new audiences.”
The announcement arrives during a period of major change for Paramount. Earlier this month, the company finalized its merger with Skydance, setting the stage for a wave of new projects. Within weeks, Paramount also signed a four-year pact with Matt and Ross Duffer, the creators of Netflix’s Stranger Things, to develop films, series, and streaming content. On top of that, the studio recently secured U.S. broadcast and streaming rights to the UFC in a $7.7 billion deal that begins in 2026.
In an open letter following the merger, Ellison outlined his ambition to lead Paramount into “the next era of entertainment” by combining strong storytelling with cutting-edge technology. The upcoming Call of Duty film looks set to be one of the first major steps in that direction.