The recently announced Call of Duty movie is slated for June 30, 2028. All we have to go off is a logo; the flick itself is currently in pre-production, with the few concrete details being that it’s being written and directed by Peter Berg with assistance from Taylor Sheridan. This means everything else is open to interpretation, so I’m asking the question of exactly how the once most-popular game franchise in the world can translate to the silver screen.
The tonal inconsistency of Call of Duty
Another detail about the upcoming Call of Duty movie appears to confirm that Jim Boeven will be reprising his role as König. The well-known German actor previously lent his voice to the KorTac operator in both Modern Warfare II (2022) and Modern Warfare III (2023); not to be confused with the original games from 2009 and 2011, respectively.
It’s entirely likely this is a placeholder on IMDb’s part, as the listing appears liquid and barebones. Call of Duty, as a franchise, started as a string of so-so WW2 shooters before exploding in popularity with the release of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in 2007. As well as the modern era, the series has covered the Cold War, primarily through the Black Ops series, and even ventured into the distant future with releases like Advanced Warfare and Infinite Warfare.
The only real thing tying the CoD games together is the name on the cover, as they’re often developed by wildly different studios that make them look, feel, and play completely differently. Infinity Ward is (arguably) the most well-known studio to create these games; however, the likes of Raven Software, Treyarch, and Sledgehammer Games are in the mix as well.
Analyzing the people behind the Call of Duty movie
While Peter Berg is (primarily) known as a producer, with credits on acclaimed flicks such as Hell or High Water and TV shows such as The Leftovers, his directorial credits are inconsistent. The previous 10 years of films Berg has directed have been mixed; Mile 22 was critically panned and hated by audiences, and Spenser Confidential failed to make a splash. This, however, is the man who gave us Patriots Day a decade ago, an impactful movie about the bombing of the Boston Marathon.
Berg has only written a handful of screenplays throughout his career behind the camera, which is why the addition of Taylor Sheridan makes sense. Sheridan wrote not only the aforementioned Hell or High Water but also Wind River, Yellowstone, and both Sicario films. It appears to be a decent combination if the script is strong enough, which brings me back to my central question.
Will Call of Duty fail as a movie adaptation?
If there’s one thing we’ve learned from recent video game movies is that they can surprise you. For every poor example, like The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, Borderlands, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Return to Silent Hill, there’s Mortal Kombat (2021), Sonic the Hedgehog 3, and Uncharted. It’s not a high bar, naturally, but it shows that the right people can translate one medium to another well enough.
The Call of Duty movie joins the ranks of the renaissance of upcoming video game films, alongside Mortal Kombat 2, Resident Evil, Street Fighter, The Legend of Zelda, A Minecraft Sequel, and Helldivers scheduled for release on the horizon. With the few details available and a mixed past for the people on board, it’s not looking promising. With any luck, it’ll be a passable time at the cinema; we’ll find out in two years.
FAQs
Yes, the Call of Duty movie was announced on April 16, 2026, and is scheduled to release on June 30, 2028.
The Call of Duty movie is being written and directed by Peter Berg.
There are 23 mainline Call of Duty games, many of which have been released as annual installments of the franchise, sometimes even back-to-back, like Modern Warfare II and Modern Warfare III, and Black Ops 6 and Black Ops 7.
