A major director is in talks to board Gears of War. The upcoming feature will adapt the video game franchise of the same name, which is set on a devastated planet where humanity’s last survivors battle a group of underground reptilian creatures known as the Locust Horde. The long-gestating Gears of War movie, which was originally put into development by New Line Cinema in 2007, is now being set up at Netflix, who announced in November 2022 that they were working with the game developer The Colation Studio on a new version of the movie and an impending animated series.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Atomic Blonde and Bullet Train director David Leitch is currently in talks to helm the Gears of War movie. Leitch would also be producing, alongside Kelly McCormick, via 87North. The director is currently in pre-production on the Nicholas Hoult heist movie How to Rob a Bank, but there would likely be time for him to finish that project, as the Gears of War screenplay by Jon Spaihts (Dune: Part Two, Doctor Strange, Prometheus) is still in progress.
What This Means For Gears Of War
David Leitch Is A Good Fit
It makes sense why Netflix would approach David Leitch, as he could be a very good fit for bringing the Gears of War games to the screen. He has a long history with the action genre that extends far beyond his solo directorial debut with 2017’s Atomic Blonde, which he followed by helming projects that included ᴅᴇᴀᴅpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw, and The Fall Guy. In addition to a long career as a stunt performer and stunt coordinator, he co-directed 2014’s John Wick with Chad Stahelski.
Chad Stahelski went on to direct the next three John Wick movies solo.
While previous David Leitch movies have prepared the director well to approach the iconic video game franchise, the Gears of War movie will also offer him an opportunity to show off his range as a filmmaker. The majority of his action movies have been comedy-forward, so bringing the video game franchise to life will offer him another major sH๏τ at mounting a more serious action project after Atomic Blonde. The world of the games also allows him license to explore a much bigger universe than the previous movies he has helmed.
Our Take On The Gears Of War Update
The Project Is Slowly Moving Forward
Even if David Leitch does not end up boarding Gears of War as the movie’s director, the fact that he is in talks is a good sign that the project still has forward momentum. There have not been many recent updates since 2022, which could have meant that the project was still stuck in development hell. However, this major sign of progress shows that the movie is still in a better position than it has been for the majority of the past 18 years.
Source: THR
