‘Call Of Duty’: Peter Berg Confirms Taylor Sheridan-Penned Military Actioner Set In ‘Modern Warfare’ Universe

Something we’ve long suspected about Paramount Pictures‘ big “Call of Duty” has been confirmed by the film’s director and co-writer Peter Berg (helmed a bunch of the live-action ads for the games’s promotional material), as the filmmaker revealed that the movie, which also has a script penned by Taylor Sheridan (“Sicario,” “Yellowstone”), will be set in a specific and one of the more popular string of titles in Activision‘s video game franchise.

Berg was speaking at Fanatics Fest NYC (via The Hollywood Reporter) and he stated that their film will be set in the “Modern Warfare” universe, although it’s unclear if they’re just going to be using those notable characters (Ghost, Price, and Soap are part of an international/allied collective of special forces soldiers) rather than faithfully adapting existing video games (“Modern Warfare 4” coming out this fall sees the return of both Price and Ghost, among a South Korean-set invasion plot).

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Setting the pic in this corner of the franchise makes perfect sense, as the newish iterations of “Modern Warfare 2” (has a subplot set in Mexico) and “Modern Warfare 3” certainly feel directly inspired by Sheridan’s work, alongside other modern action thrillers like “Zero Dark Thirty.” Things like the “Black Ops” stories have more of a psychological thriller and sci-fi angle, which may be a little tougher to adapt for the first big feature film (“Modern Warfare” likely the most accessible of the games). Also, something like “Zombies,” the survival horror game mode, would be even more niche (we’re still hopeful Paramount gets the itch to tackle that lore down the line). It remains to be seen whether Berg and Sheridan are crafting a whole new story and mission for the feature-film version.

One of the wackier things to arise during Berg’s hiring was some old comments resurfacing, where the filmmaker brutally criticized “Call of Duty” gamers/fanbase as “weak, pathetic with keyboard courage” for being more interested in military video games than actual military service (notably, many U.S. soldiers play the games alongside civilians).

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Paramount is also gearing up to make a new “G.I. Joe” movie, with Danny McBride set to write and direct (may start shooting next year if the stars align), although there is an expectation that “Call of Duty” (set for release on June 30, 2028) will be more mature, like the violent games, than the pic based on the beloved kids’ toyline. There is an expectation that “COD” (we assume will be titled “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare“) will kick off production in 2027, and casting is going to be the next big step of the prep stage (considering Price and Ghost are British characters, there is an expectation that it won’t be just American actors vying for main parts).