David Leitch Reportedly in Talks To Direct Gears of War Adaptation for Netflix

It appears the long-gestating live-action film adaptation of the highly popular video game franchise, Gears of War, has finally found its director. Per The Hollywood Reporter, The Fall Guy filmmaker David Leitch is in negotiations to direct the upcoming feature for Netflix. Leitch will also produce the project with his partner Kelly McCormick for their 87North banner, along with the gaming company The Coalition, who develops the Gears of War series.

Netflix first announced plans to adapt Gears of War as a live-action feature, followed by an adult animated series, way back in November 2022. However, there hasn’t been very much movement on the project until now. THR notes that Netflix had no comment on the Leitch deal.

Jon Spaihts, the writer who collaborated with Denis Villeneuve on adapting Frank Herbert’s Dune saga for the big screen, is reportedly writing the script for the feature. It’s expected to be a big-budget live-action feature.

Leitch’s other directing credits include Deadpool 2, Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw, Atomic Blonde, and Bullet Train. The filmmaker is currently prepping a new heist thriller, How to Rob a Bank, for Amazon MGM, starring Nicholas Hoult and Anna Sawai.

It’s unknown when Gears of War would start production or its target release date. Actor and former WWE Superstar Dave Bautista (aka Batista) has campaigned for years to portray the role of the video game series’ recurring protagonist, Marcus Fenix, for a live-action adaptation.

The Gears of War game series is set on a planet near societal collapse before a group of creatures known as Locusts attack. Humanity charges the Delta Squad, headed by a disgraced sergeant, Marcus Fenix, with taking down the threat. The franchise has spawned five games for the main series, as well as multiple spinoffs. It’s one of the most popular series of games on Xbox Live. The next installment, Gears of War: E-Day, is currently in the works at The Coalition for Xbox Series X/S. E-Day is a prequel set fourteen years before the events of the first game.