Just when it seemed Paramount had lost its most prolific content creator in Taylor Sheridan (Yellowstone), the studio retained him as the perfect person to pen a big-screen adaptation of Call of Duty. A decade ago, Sheridan wrote Sicario, a vividly immersive military crime drama that served as the basis for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II‘s campaign missions and border crossing maps.
If that wasn’t enough to earn him the job, Sheridan’s underrated TV series Special Ops: Lioness also proves he is the ideal filmmaker to translate Call of Duty to the cinema screen. Of course, with all the Yellowstone spin-offs and Western TV shows he’s created, it’s easy to overlook that Sheridan proved he could plot tactical military action 10 years ago.
What Is the ‘Call of Duty’ Movie About?
One of the most universally beloved video games since 2003, Call of Duty is a hyperrealistic military shooter that likely needs no further introduction. With 23 main Call of Duty games released to date, Paramount Pictures has commissioned a big-screen adaptation in partnership with Activision. Although a release date has yet to be announced, Paramount has tapped Taylor Sheridan to co-write the screenplay with Peter Berg (The Kingdom), who has been hired to direct.
While the official plot has yet to be divulged, Paramount CEO and Chair David Ellison stated that the studio will take a similar approach to Top Gun: Maverick (via IGN). This massive critical and commercial hit surpassed expectations, soaring with its ultra-realistic jet fights.
As most gamers know, Call of Duty began as a World War II shooter, but it has since evolved to feature contemporary international military skirmishes. For instance, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II features a starkly familiar campaign mission set along the U.S.-Mexico border. Considering how Modern Warfare II took cues from Sicario, it makes logical sense that Paramount hired him to write the upcoming video game adaptation of Call of Duty.
How ‘Sicario’ Inspired ‘Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II’ (2022)
Released in 2015, Sicario is a highly acclaimed action crime thriller written by Taylor Sheridan and directed by Denis Villeneuve. The story centers on Kate Macer (Emily Blunt), a naive FBI Agent assigned to help the U.S. Government bring down a ruthless Mexican drug cartel along the U.S.-Mexico border.
Kate’s bright-eyed idealism is shattered when she witnesses CIA superior Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) bend the law and operate in a legal gray area to stop the cartel. For instance, she watches Graver hire Alejandro (Benicio del Toro), a former lawyer turned assassin, to bypass the legal channels and help the U.S. prevail in the war on drugs.
Those who’ve played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II have noticed several similarities with Sicario. Not only is there a Spanish and English-speaking protagonist named Alejandro in both, but there is also a character named Phillip Graves in Modern Warfare II, a Shadow Company PMC Commander who starkly resembles Matt Graver.
Thematically, the game and movie are linked by the special covert ops, Mexican drug cartels, and the Mexican military, and the moral murkiness that surrounds such complex geopolitical wars. Narratively, the shadowy interactions between Alejandro and Graves/Graver also align with the complicated character dynamics in Sicario and Sicario 2, also written by Sheridan.
More substantially, Modern Warfare II‘s developers deliberately based certain multiplayer campaign missions and border maps on those seen in Sicario. In particular, the game’s Santa Seña Border Crossing Map was directly inspired by Sicario, with multiplayer design director Geoff Smith telling Dexterto:
“I know that map’s not super popular in certain groups, but we like to keep it fun, and it’s really neat to move through those cars, channeling Sicario.”
Smith references the memorable moment in Sicario when a brutal ambush by the Mexican drug cartel occurs in broad daylight in the middle of bumper-to-bumper traffic at the border. The sequence is replicated almost identically in Modern Warfare II‘s border campaign mission. With Sheridan’s Sicario script inspiring Modern Warfare II, it’s only right that he’s been tapped to adapt Call of Duty to the big screen.
For those still skeptical, consider Sheridan’s underrated military action series Special Ops: Lioness. Soon to debut its third season, the on-brand calling card for Sheridan tracks an all-female unit of undercover CIA operatives who wage high-stakes espionage missions in Iraq.
Not for nothing, but Peter Berg has also shown a propensity for high-grade military action thrillers. Beginning with The Kingdom in 2007, Berg has admirably directed visceral army action movies like Lone Survivor and Mile 22. Berg also directed Battleship and Patriots Day. With Mark Wahlberg starring in three of the five films mentioned, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Berg cast him in Call of Duty as well. Alas, that’s only speculation at this point.
What isn’t speculative is Taylor Sheridan’s storytelling penchant for military-driven action thrills. Given his impressive track record with Sicario and Lioness, Paramount is in good hands when Call of Duty officially launches its first big-screen campaign. Sicario is streaming now on Peacock.
- Release Date
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September 17, 2015
- Runtime
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122 minutes
- Producers
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Basil Iwanyk, Edward McDonnell, Ellen H. Schwartz, Molly Smith, Thad Luckinbill, Stacy Perskie
