Netflix's Gears of War Film Advances, Marcus Fenix Cast Open

David Leitch, the director behind The Fall Guy, is reportedly in negotiations to helm Netflix’s upcoming film adaptation of the Gears of War video game.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Leitch—known for directing Atomic Blonde (2017), Deadpool 2 (2018), Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw (2019), and Bullet Train (2022)—is in talks to direct the movie based on Microsoftʼs popular third-person shooter franchise.

Leitch and Kelly McCormick are expected to produce alongside The Coalition, the development studio behind the Gears series. Jon Spaihts (Dune) has been tapped to write the screenplay.

It has been two and a half years since Netflix secured the rights to Gears of War, but the project now appears to be moving forward. An adult animated series is also reportedly in development and would follow the film's release. Should these adaptations prove successful, more Gears content would likely be greenlit.

A major question remains: who will portray series protagonist Marcus Fenix? WWE-turned-actor Dave Bautista has been very vocal about his strong desire to take on the role, and he has even received public support from Gears co-creator Cliff Bleszinski.

Video game adaptations are booming in popularity, with titles like The Super Mario Bros. Movie, the Minecraft film, and the Sonic the Hedgehog series breaking box office records. Other recent and upcoming adaptations include Uncharted, Mortal Kombat, Resident Evil films, and many more.

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In March, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer commented that the Halo TV series' mixed reception hasn't deterred the company from pursuing more game adaptations. Microsoft has learned valuable lessons from Halo, Spencer said, and is growing more confident in this area. Fans can expect more projects in the future.

"We’re learning and growing through this process, which is giving us more confidence that we should do more,” Spencer stated.

“We learned from doing Halo. We learned from doing Fallout. All of these experiences build on one another. Naturally, a few projects may not succeed, but I want to assure the Xbox community that enjoys this content: you’ll see more, because we’re gaining confidence and learning as we go.”

Meanwhile, in the world of gaming, The Coalition is developing Gears of War: E-Day, a prequel to the main series. A release date has not yet been announced.