Taylor Sheridan may be jumping ship from Paramount to NBCUniversal (the move doesn’t officially take effect until his current deal with the former ends in 2028), but that doesn’t mean his relationship with Paramount is over for good. Instead, THR reports he’ll remain with the studio to adapt the “Call Of Duty” franchise into a feature film.
That’s easily the most high-profile project of Sheridan’s already successful career, but take note: he doesn’t direct the project; he only pens it. Peter Berg will helm the movie instead, as well as co-write and co-produce it with Sheridan. David Glasser, the producer behind Sheridan’s TV empire over at Paramount+, is also in talks to produce via Sheridan’s 101 Studios banner.
On paper, Sheridan and Berg appear to be suitable matches for their source material. The war shooter “Call Of Duty” has been the top-selling video game franchise in the US for 16 consecutive years. Both men make hyper-masculine projects (Berg in particular, as he’s helmed stuff like “Friday Night Lights,” Lone Survivor,” and “Deepwater Horizon,” among others). Still, it remains unclear what era of the game the duo will tackle in their script. It’s a wide berth when it comes to “Call Of Duty”: franchise installments range from World War II to Vietnam to the present day, and even into the near future.
Still, it’s no surprise to see Sheridan and Berg team up for this, as they’ve done so before, with Berg serving as a producer on 2016’s “Hell Or High Water” and 2017’s “Wind River.” Both films were big hits for the longtime friends, with the former receiving four Oscar nods, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. However, Sheridan heads may champion the latter more: “Wind River” is easily one of the strongest Western genre efforts in recent memory, and features tour-de-force performances from Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Kelsey Asbille, and the late, great Graham Greene.
The “Call of Duty” news comes on the heels of Sheridan’s departure to NBCUniversal, announced late this past weekend. The jump comes as a shock to Sheridan fans, as the writer-director has established a dominant TV empire at Paramount, featuring several critically acclaimed shows. Puck, who initially broke the story, cited that the move stems from Sheridan’s unhappiness with the new Paramount-Skydance regime, as well as a desire to make more films. The film deal with NBC Universal kicks off next year, so while “Call Of Duty” isn’t an exclusive Taylor Sheridan joint, maybe his next directing gig is on the way soon?
Stay tuned for more details on “Call Of Duty” as they arrive. As for Sheridan, “Landman” S2, his most immediate upcoming project, premieres on Paramount+ next month.
