The legendary director wanted full creative control, but Activision turned him down in favor of Paramount.
In the world of making big movies, chances are bound to be missed. A new story going around, however, sounds the most shocking of all: Activision was allegedly interested in a Call of Duty movie pitched by Steven Spielberg, one of the most famous movie directors of all time. Activision said no, which made a lot of people scratch their heads.
Reports say Spielberg went to Activision with an idea for a faithful movie version of the popular video game series. But there was one big catch to his offer: he wanted to be in charge of the whole artistic process. That meant being in charge of more than just directing. They had to keep an eye on marketing, production, the final cut, and even some financial matters.
That amount of control seemed to be a deal-breaker for Activision. Instead of giving Spielberg the run of the movie, the company turned down the pitch and chose to work with Paramount Pictures on the long-awaited movie version. It’s a refusal that’s hard to believe if it’s true. Spielberg has made movies like Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, and E.T.
That have changed the way movies are made today. He also has a unique way of making war stories come to life that few other directors can match. That, along with the fact that Spielberg is said to really enjoy Call of Duty and to have played all of the games in the series, makes it clear that this could be a groundbreaking remake.
It’s easy for fans to think about what might have been. If Spielberg had directed the Call of Duty movie, it might have combined his signature sense of scale and emotional weight with the game’s intense action scenes, creating a war drama that could stand on its own as one of his best. Some people even think it might have been the only video game adaptation to get both critical acclaim and respect from major award shows.
The project is now fully in the hands of Paramount, which is moving forward with its own take on the franchise. Few details have been released about the movie, and no director has been named officially. However, the studio’s involvement means that Call of Duty will finally be shown in theaters.
The thought of what was lost stays with me though. Because Spielberg is so passionate about the subject and has such a long history of making movies, he might have made something truly special. The company’s choice to walk away could be seen as one of the biggest mistakes in its long history of trying to bring video games to the big screen.
The Paramount movie gives Call of Duty fans a chance to finally see the game in real life. But there will always be that one question: what if Steven Spielberg had been in charge?
