As the week comes to a close, the groundwork is being laid for what could be the biggest bidding war of the year. And it’s, appropriately enough, for Battlefield, the military video game which last year topped the sales charts.
And if the title wasn’t enticing enough, it comes with some of the biggest names in Hollywood: Chrsitopher McQuarrie, who has spent the last dozen years guiding field operations for Tom Cruise in the Mission: Impossible movies, and Michael B. Jordan, who last month won an Oscar for his performance in Sinners.
McQuarrie is attached to write, direct and produce a feature adaptation of Battlefield, the military video game from Electronic Arts, while Jordan is attached to produce and possibly star, depending on several factors.
This hot package, which also includes EA as a producer, is currently before studios, who are already marshaling their interest.
Sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that McQuarrie and several others pitched studios and streamers such as Apple and Sony Thursday with other meetings occurring Friday. Those involved are prioritizing a theatrical release so it is unclear if Netflix will be on the meetings list.
It is unclear when bidding will commence, but studio business affairs execs better gird their loins for this one. It will not be cheap. Talent costs will be one thing, but even getting rights to the game will be pricey.
Battlefield first launched in 2002 as a World War Two game titled Battlefield 1942. And over the next two decades, the games became more ambitious and elaborate, set in various time periods, even the future.
Battlefield 6, the 18th game and latest of the series, was released last year and was set about two years into the future and featured a splintered NATO as one of the sides fighting. Reportedly one of the most expensive games ever made, it became not only the biggest seller in the franchise’s history but the top game of 2025, finally eclipsing Call of Duty.
Battlefield 6
Battlefield/YouTube
Battlefield is sometimes compared to Call of Duty, the other long-running military first-person shooter game and one of the most popular games of all time. The two are hardened fighters in the trenches for top spot in the video game field and now the two may be forced to fight for cinematic supremacy, too. A Call of Duty feature is currently a top priority development at Skydance-owned Paramount, with Taylor Sheridan co-writing the script and Peter Berg on board to captain. It is unclear whether McQuarrie and company will meet with Paramount regarding Battlefield.
McQuarrie is repped by CAA while Jordan is repped by WME and 1v1 Entertainment.
