Rumored Call of Duty adaptation director Stefano Sollima reveals who he would like to see star in the film, and Tom Hardy and Chris Pine appear to be at the top of his list.
At this point, most have heard of the video game movie curse. Every year major Hollywood studios come out with a film that fans hope will buck the trend of below average video game adaptations and every time they fail. Activision-Blizzard has felt this sting previously with its Warcraft film and yet its grand cinematic plans for Call Of Duty shows no signs of stopping. After possibly finding its director in Stefano Sollima, fans now have an idea of who might star in the adaptation.
While speaking to Metro News in Milan, the Sicario 2: Soldado director hinted that popular action actors Tom Hardy and Chris Pine would be at the top of his list for a Call Of Duty film, admitting he “loved” their work. When discussing Hardy he expressed admiration at his previous efforts and acclaimed Pine’s versatility saying “He’s tough, but he’s smart and he can have a sense of humor but he can also be in such a dramatic role”
It’s hard to argue against either of the director’s choices. Hardy has established himself as one of the most popular actors in the business and would be more than up to the task. With roles in films like Mad Max: Fury Road or Inception, not to mention his role in the recent war film Dunkirk, Hardy would be a welcome addition to the film. It’s also worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time the actor has been linked to a video game role, with Hardy set to play Sam Fisher the dormant Splinter Cell adaptaion.
Much of the same can be said for Pine. The actor has become widely known thanks to his turns as James T. Kirk and Steve Trevor in the rebooted Star Trek films and Wonder Woman respectively. If rumors of a cinematic universe plan based on Call Of Duty are true, then Pine’s previous franchise experience could be a welcome addition.
All of this comes at an interesting time for the popular shooter franchise. After a decline in audience reception over several games, the series is seeing a resurgence with the recent installment Call Of Duty: World War 2. Activision-Blizzard will no doubt be looking to keep the recent hype for the franchise going, so it’s important anything wearing the Call Of Duty name lives up to that hype. While it’s not clear what setting and narrative the film will go with, there is plenty of interesting source material to work from.
In any case, the film is sure to face some stiff competition from other video game adaptations in the years to come. With the Tomb Raider reboot coming this year, and Detective Pikachu, Minecraft, and Uncharted all on the way, Call of Duty is going to need to deliver, or become just another victim of the video game movie curse.
Call of Duty: WW2 is available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
