Sawt Falasteen - Paramount to make live-action 'Call of Duty' movie

Scion David Ellison, son of Oracle founder Larry Ellison, assumed control of Paramount last month and is overseeing a major effort to revitalize the storied but ailing studio behind "Top Gun" and "The Godfather."

First-person-shooter series "Call of Duty" is one of the world's best-selling games franchises, having sold 500 million copies. It is played monthly by more than 100 million people.

"As a lifelong fan of 'Call of Duty' this is truly a dream come true," said David Ellison, in a statement.

The "Call of Duty" games are made by Activision-Blizzard, which was itself purchased by Microsoft in 2023 for $69 billion, in the sector's biggest takeover.

There have been more than 30 "Call of Duty" game titles overall, since it debuted in 2003.

The most recent major installment -- 2024's "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" -- was set in the 1990s, with a security team on a mission to target a US senator and gain access to a top-secret site in Washington.

Under the deal with Activision, Paramount will "develop, produce, and distribute a live-action feature film based on 'Call of Duty,'" the company release said.

No valuation was provided for the deal, nor details of the planned movie.

Trade newspaper Variety reported that the partnership could expand to further "Call of Duty" films and television shows, citing anonymous sources. Paramount did not respond to AFP request for comment.

"From the first Allied campaigns in the original 'Call of Duty,' through 'Modern Warfare' and 'Black Ops,' I've spent countless hours playing this franchise that I absolutely love," said Ellison.

"Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility that we don't take lightly."

Paramount is already the home of a popular video-game adaptation -- the "Sonic the Hedgehog" animated movies.

Movie studios for a long time struggled to convert successful games into something the viewing public would watch.

But recent triumphs like "The Super Mario Bros Movie," which netted over $1.3 billion globally, and the nearly $1 billion take for "A Minecraft Movie" indicate they may have cracked the formula.

S.Barghouti--SF-PST