Michael B. Jordan has been a powerhouse in Hollywood for years, thanks in large part to collaborating with Ryan Coogler for the movies Fruitvale Station, Creed, and Black Panther. His star somehow manages to burn brighter with each project he takes part in, and when he won an Oscar earlier this year for his performance in Sinners, he’s arguably never been a more sought-after talent. The performer seems to be taking full advantage of his clout, pursuing some of the biggest properties out there, as confirmed by the report earlier this month that he was developing a movie based on the Battlefield video game series.
Making the adaptation an even more thrilling project that studios want to get their hands on is the fact that Mission: Impossible filmmaker Christopher McQuarrie was attached to the project, now that his time in the Tom Cruise-starring series has seemingly come to an end. The pairing of Jordan and McQuarrie and the coveted Battlefield property is reportedly so intense that, according to TheWrap, five studios are all gunning for the rights to the project. The outlet claims that Netflix, Warner Bros. Discovery, Sony, Amazon MGM Studios, and Universal are all trying to secure the movie.
At this point in development, it might be too early to tell which studio is the frontrunner. Jordan just won his Oscar for Sinners, which was produced by Warner Bros., so there’s one advantage that this studio might have. However, with Warner Bros. and Paramount currently in the middle of a massive merger, it’s possible that their focus could be elsewhere, or that Jordan and McQuarrie might not want to be part of that union. On the other hand, McQuarrie delivered multiple Mission: Impossible sequels at Paramount, with the looming merger possibly enticing the filmmaker. Jordan is currently set to star in Miami Vice ’85, and with that adaptation coming from Universal, it could be a point in that studio’s favor.
Unlike various other video game series, Battlefield isn’t especially known for a specific narrative or character. Instead, it places players in the middle of historical combat, often using era-appropriate artillery to help you achieve objectives. For the uninitiated, Battlefield has a lot in common with a first-person shooter like Call of Duty, but where Call of Duty has smaller maps and an emphasis on individual firepower, Battlefield has much larger maps and also utilizes a variety of vehicles.
Keeping those similarities going is the fact that there’s also currently a Call of Duty adaptation in the works, which also has high-profile filmmakers attached. As confirmed last fall, Taylor Sheridan and Peter Berg are attached to a Call of Duty movie, which has a release date of June 30, 2028.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
