Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg Join Forces for the ‘Call of Duty’ Movie — Hollywood’s Next Big War Story

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Oct 30

Written By Jonathan P. Moustakas

Taylor Sheridan, Pete Berg **RYAN EMBERLEY/AMFAR/GETTY IMAGES; PRESLEY ANN/GETTY IMAGES**

From Yellowstone to the battlefield — Sheridan and Berg are gearing up to weaponize storytelling for a new kind of cinematic warfare.

It’s official: the billion-dollar video game franchise Call of Duty is going cinematic, and Hollywood’s most testosterone-fueled storytellers are leading the charge. Deadline confirmed this week that Taylor Sheridan will pen the screenplay, with Peter Berg set to direct, in what promises to be one of the most ambitious game-to-film adaptations yet.

For studios, this isn’t just another franchise play — it’s a declaration of intent. After years of false starts and failed video game adaptations, Call of Duty represents a different kind of opportunity: one that merges military realism, global brand recognition, and the star-making energy of Sheridan’s frontier storytelling. The pairing is almost too perfect. Sheridan, the creative force behind Yellowstone and Sicario, has built his reputation on men at war with systems and themselves. Berg, best known for Lone Survivor and Deepwater Horizon, has made a career of translating real-world heroism into spectacle. Together, they bring a brutal authenticity that might finally do justice to a franchise synonymous with intensity.

The Call of Duty series has sold over 400 million copies worldwide since its 2003 debut, spawning an entire subculture of competitive gaming and military fandom. But its cinematic potential has long been stuck in development purgatory. Past attempts at adaptation fizzled amid creative turnover and uncertainty over tone — should it be a gritty war drama, a popcorn blockbuster, or both? Sheridan’s involvement all but answers that question. Expect the same moral ambiguity and high-stakes realism that defined Hell or High Water and Wind River — reimagined through a global combat lens.

Insiders describe the film as a grounded, character-driven action epic — less Top Gun: Maverick gloss, more Black Hawk Down with Sheridan’s signature moral conflict. Early reports suggest the story will draw from multiple eras of the game’s mythology, combining the covert intensity of Modern Warfare with the brotherhood themes of Band of Brothers.

For Sheridan, it’s a logical next step. After dominating television with the Yellowstone universe, he’s quietly positioned himself as the modern-day heir to Michael Mann and Kathryn Bigelow — filmmakers who understand masculinity, systems, and power as cinematic languages. And with Berg in the director’s chair, there’s no doubt the film will aim for visceral realism. Berg, who frequently collaborates with Mark Wahlberg, is known for extensive on-location shoots, tactical authenticity, and muscular, blue-collar storytelling.

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Industry observers are already framing Call of Duty as a potential new franchise launcher — not just for sequels, but for Sheridan’s expanding empire. If executed right, it could stand alongside John Wick and Extraction as a serious contender in the modern action canon. Paramount and Activision Blizzard have yet to confirm casting, though speculation is swirling around several major names in Sheridan’s orbit, including Josh Brolin, Glen Powell, and Taylor Kitsch — each of whom fits the mold of a Sheridan antihero.

Beyond the spectacle, Call of Duty carries weight as a test case for Hollywood’s evolving IP economy. As studios increasingly rely on existing franchises to offset risk, video games have emerged as the next frontier. The Last of Us and Fallout have already proven that prestige adaptations can thrive — if the creative vision is bold enough. Sheridan and Berg’s attachment signals that this adaptation won’t be a marketing exercise but an auteur-driven war story.

Still, challenges remain. Translating gameplay adrenaline into emotional narrative has tripped up many before. But Sheridan’s strength lies in stripping down archetypes — turning archetypal soldiers into human beings fighting invisible wars. If he can bring that level of nuance to Call of Duty, the result could elevate the entire subgenre.

Culturally, the timing couldn’t be better. Global audiences are once again fascinated by stories of conflict and consequence, while geopolitical tension has returned to the mainstream consciousness. In that sense, Call of Duty isn’t escapism — it’s reflection. Sheridan’s ability to merge moral decay with kinetic storytelling could transform what was once seen as a video game cash grab into a cultural moment about the psychology of warfare.

In a Hollywood landscape defined by recycled brands, Call of Duty might just stand apart — not because of its explosions, but because of its conviction. Sheridan and Berg have both built careers on exposing the cost of heroism. Together, they might finally make the modern war film feel dangerous again.