The wheels of creativity are in motion for David Leitch, as the acclaimed director of "The Fall Guy" engages in negotiations to steer the helm of "Gears of War," Netflix's ambitious big-budget adaptation of one of the Xbox platform's most storied video game franchises.
Jon Spaihts, who is collaborating with Denis Villeneuve on bringing Frank Herbert's epic "Dune" novels to life for Legendary Pictures, pens the screenplay for this feature. Netflix has joined forces with The Coalition Studio, the Canadian game developer responsible for the franchise, to bring this vision to the screen.
Leitch, alongside his wife and producing partner Kelly McCormick, will produce the film under their 87North banner, in conjunction with The Coalition. Netflix has remained tight-lipped regarding the deal-making.
The game is set on a planet teetering on the brink of societal collapse, as humanity is pushed to the edge of extinction by a monstrous underground menace known as the Locust. Delta Squad, a disparate fireteam led by the disgraced sergeant Marcus Fenix, rises to the occasion to spearhead humanity's desperate last stand.
In November 2022, Netflix acquired the rights to this beloved video game franchise with grand aspirations. Their plan is to first adapt the game into a feature film and subsequently follow it up with an adult animated series, with more projects to come in the future.
Leitch, who has emerged from the world of stunts, is slowly amassing a diverse and impressive résumé while staying true to his roots in the action genre. "The Fall Guy," starring Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, served as a homage to the stunt and filmmaking community. The Brad Pitt-starrer "Bullet Train" was a contained, twist-laden assassin thriller, while "Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw" was a playful spin-off of the long-running franchise. Among his credits are also the comic book movie "Deadpool 2" and the period spy thriller "Atomic Blonde."
Currently, Leitch is in pre-production for "How to Rob a Bank," a heist thriller for Amazon MGM starring Nicholas Hoult and Anna Sawai. He is represented by CAA and Johnson Shapiro.
