Spielberg wanted to direct 'Call of Duty': Paramount is finally confirming what I reported last week: A Call of Duty movie is in the works via a new deal with Activision. But no talent is attached yet, which is very different from the Universal pitch for the project. Per three sources, Steven Spielberg really wanted to direct the CoD movie, and his Amblin teamed with Universal dealmaker Jimmy Horowitz to present the filmmaker's vision for one of the world's biggest gaming franchises.
Spielberg is famously a big gamer and loves CoD in particular. But with Spielberg comes the famous Spielberg Deal, which includes top-of-market economics, final cut, and full control over production and marketing. That spooked the team from Activision, now owned by Microsoft, which instead went with David Ellison's pitch that offered much more control over the process. Given the constraints, let's see who Paramount gets to direct that movie…
Steven Spielberg really wanted to direct a 'Call of Duty' movie 🪖
• He's a gamer and plays CoD
• He pitched his vision to Activision — wanted final cut and full control over production
• Activision got spooked and then sold the rights to Paramount where they'd have more control
(via Puck News)
— Culture Crave 🍿 (@culturecrave.co) 5 September 2025 at 07:36
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