Call of Duty is one of the biggest video game franchises in the world, and there are many great stories the upcoming film could adapt. Paramount is early in developing a Call of Duty movie, and there are no details yet about which era the film will be set in or what kind of story it will tell.
When the first Call of Duty game was released in 2003 for Windows, the first-person shooter was essentially a World War II simulator. This style was common in this period, which saw the popularity of franchises including Medal of Honor and Battlefield. The game was well-liked, but it would evolve significantly from there to become the juggernaut it is today.
With the growing popularity of online multiplayer and more contemporary settings in Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the series became one of the biggest of all time and has remained there ever since. With that popularity persisting for the series’ more than two-decade run on consoles and computers, now is the perfect time for a Call of Duty movie.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare was released in 2016 and was a big deal as it moved the franchise into a futuristic, space setting. Moving the action into a more global scale, Infinite Warfare saw players take on the avatar of Lieutenant Nick Reyes, a member of the Settlement Defence Force.
While the game initially received criticism for how it pushed the boundaries of these warfare shooters into a science fiction setting, attitudes softened as audiences came to appreciate the unique setting. In the games, Reyes is outfitted with a grappling hook, and much of the action takes place in zero-gravity environments.
Call of Duty has had many different permutations through the years, and Infinite Warfare was one of the most creatively diverse. The game’s story was lauded as one of the strongest in the series, and if Paramount wishes to build a big-budget, science fiction extravaganza from the brand, this could be the way to go.
Set in 2187, the game is a futuristic entry in the Call of Duty series. With that said, Paramount hopes to build a sustainable franchise with this property, which would make Infinite Warfare an unusual place to start. Even if Infinite Warfare would make a great film, some of the other entries on the list feel more likely.
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War is one of the more classic settings and stories in the games. Set during World War II, the game features two different campaigns where the player takes on the role of either US Marine Raider Private C. Miller or Soviet Red Army Private Dimitri Petrenko.
With a great story and deep, realistic drama, World at War took some strong, real-world settings and injected them with exciting drama. Including the Battle of the Seelow Heights and the Battle of Peleliu, the game made these historic events feel among the most vital and immersive that they had yet been in the games.
In addition, the underrated World at War introduced something to the series that would go on to become a hallmark of its multiplayer modes: zombies. In order to differentiate this film from other more standard military stories, the Call of Duty film could also integrate zombies in its story in a way to make their military action feel fresh.
This would be a risk, and perhaps it would be best if the story was approached with a greater eye for accuracy. However, it cannot be denied that World at War remains one of the most popular games in the series for good reason, with much of the affection have come from the game’s strong story.
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
Similar to Infinite Warfare, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare moves the action of the game’s setting to the future, with a campaign that begins in 2054. This setting might lend itself perfectly to a Call of Duty film; while there are some technological innovations, including exoskeletons, the story feels surprisingly grounded.
In the game, players assume the role of Private Jack Mitchell. In a future setting, with interesting geopolitical conflicts. The player works to repel invasions from real nations, including North Korea, but also includes other interesting organizations, including the Atlas Corporation and the Sentinel Task Force.
Advanced Warfare could be a great choice for the first Call of Duty film. The game is already one of the most cinematic in the whole series, and the near-future setting gives the perfect opportunity to tell prescient war stories that are filled with stylized military action.
This setting and story could give the creatives enough flexibility to build a film that feels new and compelling, while also being true enough to the setting and texture of the games. With great material to draw from, Advanced Warfare feels like a likely option for the new film.
Call of Duty: Ghosts
Call of Duty: Ghosts was the first game in the series to move the focus to a near-future timeline. With spy intrigue reminiscent of Tom Clancy novels and films, the game sees the fall of the USA as a global superpower. To survive, the nation brings in a special ops team known as The Ghosts to fight against impending threats.
Ghosts follows several members of this team, primarily focusing on brothers Logan and David “Hesh” Walker. Facing the emergence of a global technological superpower, the team must fight back on covert missions across the globe.
Ghosts could be a more grounded Mission: Impossible. The game has astonishing spy action and tech, and could craft a genuinely exciting narrative that feels both prescient and relevant. Taking on powers that are deeply invested in technology, the story could be crafted around concepts with real-world relevance, such as artificial intelligence.
Making the Call of Duty movie an adaptation of Ghosts would be a strong choice. There is great drama and intrigue, as well as enough exciting near-future science fiction elements and spectacle. In fact, there is only one game in the series that could make for a better film adaptation, with a focused eye on sustainability for the franchise.
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: Black Ops was a huge release for the series and featured one of the most exciting stories that the games have seen to date. Set during the height of the Cold War in the 1960s, the game followed Alex Mason taking on a series of exciting missions that intersected with history in some surprising ways.
Including playing through an attempted assassination of Fidel Castro, the game makes a number of exciting connections to real-world American history, and could make for a compelling spy thriller.
Bringing in elements of The Manchurian Candidate around brainwashing, and opportunities for revisionist history like those seen in Inglourious Basterds, Black Ops is likely the best move for a Call of Duty movie.
Much of this stems from the successive franchise opportunities. Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 is a great follow-up with some of the same characters, and it begins to move the story into the future.
Calling to mind comparisons to Apple TV+’s For All Mankind, there are great opportunities for Call of Duty: Black Ops to construct a story that plays into an exciting future. Black Ops could bridge the gap between the historically grounded early Call of Duty games and the science-fiction influence later ones.
Whether changing historical events or simply seeding details that lead into the future, the Black Ops story is likely the best option to build a sustainable Call of Duty franchise. With some of the best characters in the games, and six installments already released, with Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 coming, there is so much to pull from.
While basing a film on the first couple of Call of Duty games might only result in generic historical thrillers, the series’ evolution has crafted many excellent stories for the new movie to draw from. Balancing the realistic military feel of the games against their exaggerated and colorful settings could help Call of Duty become one of Paramount’s biggest franchises.
