Netflix Is Turning Yet Another Popular Shooter Game Into a Movie

Netflix is moving forward with a Gears of War movie, and David Leitch is attached to direct and co-produce. In an interview, producer McCormick gave an update on the project.

“We’re writing right now with Jon Spaihts, and we’re really excited about it,” McCormick said.

“There’s a lot of energy from The Coalition and from Netflix, because The Coalition is releasing a game in 2026. We won’t hit that release date, but maybe something that feels relevant to the release of the new game.”

“It’s an opportunity for David to do a war film, which he hasn’t gotten to do yet, and a bit of sci-fi in his own way with this beloved IP in his own way.”McCormick said.

The journey to a Gears of War movie has been long. In March 2007, New Line Cinema bought the rights to adapt the popular video game. Stuart Beattie was set to write the script, with Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey producing.

Godfrey said at the time, “I’m not a gamer, but what blew me away about Gears was how it captures the mythology of a war mission and how high the stakes are.” Len Wiseman was reported to direct, and Cliff Bleszinski, the lead designer of the games, was brought on as an executive producer and consultant.

After this initial attempt, the project went quiet for years. In October 2016, during the launch of Gears of War 4, The Coalition’s Rod Fergusson confirmed that a movie adaptation was in development for a theatrical release at Universal Pictures.

Scott Stuber and Dylan Clark were set to produce under Universal’s Bluegrass Films division, but no director or writer had been chosen yet. Fergusson said the story’s place in the Gears of War universe had been determined.

Universal hired Shane Salerno in May 2017 to write a screenplay, with Fergusson noting, “the movie won’t be based on one of the games but a new story set in the universe.” F. Scott Frazier was later reported to work on the script in 2018. Despite these plans, the project never moved forward in theaters.

In November 2022, Netflix officially picked up the project for streaming and began collaborating with The Coalition. Jon Spaihts was reported as the screenwriter in March 2023. Then, on May 15, 2025, it’s been announced that David Leitch would direct and co-produce the movie.

The new Gears of War adaptation promises a mix of intense war action and sci-fi elements, bringing the beloved video game series to a wider audience on Netflix.

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