The Gears of War live-action adaptation that Netflix had promised back in November of last year is finally taking shape with the first big name attached to the project announced on Tuesday. Jon Spaihts of Dune and Doctor Strange fame will be leading the feature film adaptation, the streamer has announced.
Spaihts is reportedly a big fame of the third-person shooter game according to the statement released to Variety by Gears of War developer The Coalition. “[Spaihts] truly loves Gears of War,” the company stated, calling the Oscar-nominated scribe “a master storyteller” in the world of sci-fi, and the best possible partner to take on the highly-anticipated adaptation.
The original Gears of War trilogy is rated among the best Xbox 360 games of all time, with the first installment becoming one of the fastest-selling Xbox 360 games ever after selling one million units worldwide in the first two weeks after its release in 2006. Spaihts described it as “one of the all-time great action games,” and complimented its combat system, its “vivid characters,” and its “beautifully designed world.”
“It wants to be cinema, and I’m thrilled to have the chance to help that happen,” the Dune writer told Variety. Spaihts does seem like a perfect fit, considering his experience in both the sci-fi and the action genres, with titles like Dune, Dune: Part Two, Passengers, Prometheus, and Doctor Strange under his belt.
Gears of War is set on the war-torn planet of Sera, and follows Marcus Fenix, a soldier in the Coalition of Ordered Governments, as he tries to stop the Locust Horde, a race of reptilian humanoids, from destroying what is left of humanity.
After years in development purgatory, Netflix revealed that an adult animated series will follow the release of the movie and that the doors are open for more projects related to the beloved video game to be developed in the future. Although no casting announcements have been at this point, fans have already decided who they want to see take on the role of Fenix and, like Spaihts, he’s an MCU alum too.
