Netflix is riding the wave of popularity for video game adaptations by commissioning a Gears of War movie. The streamer is recruiting a former stuntman turned director to helm the action spectacle.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, David Leitch is in negotiations to direct Gears of War for Netflix. Jon Spaihts, the Academy Award-nominated co-writer of Dune, will pen the Gears of War screenplay.
Leitch and Kelly McCormick, Leitch’s wife and creative partner, will produce the Netflix adaptation through their 87 North banner. Netflix will partner with The Coalition Studio, the Canadian video game developer, to produce the feature film adaptation.
Netflix acquired the rights to Gears of War in 2022. The streamer has plans to make a blockbuster adaptation of the video game before expanding to other mediums, including an adult animated series.
Released in 2006, Gears of War is a third-person shooter game set on the fictional Earth-like planet of Sera. With society on the brink of extinction, humans engage in a war with vicious underground creatures known as the Locust Horde. The game follows soldiers Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago of the Delta Squad in a fight to save humanity against the Locust forces.
Gears of War became the fastest-selling video game of 2006 and one of the best-selling franchises for the Xbox 360. There have been eight Gears of War video games, which include the main series, spinoffs, and prequels.
Leitch began his career as a stunt performer, doubling for Brad Pitt and then working on two Matrix movies. After working as the uncredited co-director of John Wick, Leitch helmed his first feature with 2017’s Atomic Blonde.
Since Atomic Blonde, Leitch has become a reliable action director backed by excellent stuntwork. Leitch’s other films include Deadpool 2, Hobbs & Shaw, Bullet Train, and The Fall Guy. Leitch’s next movie is 2026’s How to Rob a Bank, a crime thriller with Nicolas Hoult, Pete Davidson, and Anna Sawai.