Hollywood studio Paramount, recently acquired by the billionaire Ellison family, will produce a film based on the iconic video game Call of Duty, AFP reported. The news comes a month after David Ellison—the son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison—took over management of the studio and launched an ambitious campaign to revive it.

Call of Duty is one of the world’s best-selling gaming franchises, with over 500 million copies sold and more than 100 million active players each month. “As a longtime fan of Call of Duty, this is a dream come true for me,” said Ellison.

The games are developed by Activision-Blizzard, which in 2023 was acquired by Microsoft for $69 billion—the largest deal in the sector. Since 2003, more than 30 titles have been released, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in 2024, set in the 1990s around a mission against a U.S. senator in Washington.

According to the agreement with Activision, Paramount will develop, produce, and distribute a feature film based on Call of Duty. No details about the budget or storyline have been announced yet. According to Variety, the partnership may also expand into television productions, but Paramount declined to comment.

“From the first Allied campaigns in the original game to Modern Warfare and Black Ops, I have spent countless hours in this world that I love. To be entrusted by Activision and millions of players around the world to bring this universe to the big screen is an honor and a responsibility,” Ellison added.

Paramount already has successes with game adaptations, including Sonic the Hedgehog. In the past, Hollywood struggled to turn video games into successful films, but box office hits like The Super Mario Bros. Movie with over $1.3 billion and nearly $1 billion in revenue for A Minecraft Movie show that the formula has now been found. | BGNES