It wasn’t a stretch to think that once a prolonged federal regulatory process finally moved out of the way of his company Skydance’s $8 billion purchase, David Ellison, the new leader of the merged Paramount, would have resources to breathe some new life into a venerable Hollywood studio operation.
However, it may surprise some how much he has committed so quickly. In the new Paramount CEO’s latest swing at the fences, the studio inked a film deal with Activision for the powerful Call of Duty video game franchise to develop, produce and distribute a live-action feature film based on the IP.
A monetary figure wasn’t disclosed for the agreement. But the CoD announcement comes less than a month after Ellison, son of billionaire Oracle founder Larry Ellison, unveiled a massive seven-year, $7.7 billion deal to poach UFC from a long-time PPV arrangement and move the fight league to exclusive play across Paramount+, as well as select events simulcast on CBS.
Just prior to his name being put officially on the door on August 7, Ellison and his team negotiated a whopping $1.5 billion deal to keep South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the Melrose lot.
And Ellison last month also poached the fraternal creative duo behind mega-hit Stranger Things, Matt and Ross Duffer, putting the creators of one of Netflix’s most popular series ever in an multi-year exclusive overall deal that involves not just TV shows but movies, too.
Together these deals surpass the $8 billion the mogul, through his Skydance Media operation, paid to acquire a big Hollywood studio in the first place.
As for the Call of Duty deal, video game adaptations have been useful to a Hollywood film business absolutely hooked on established IP. Comcast’s Universal Pictures, for example, has turned Nintendo’s Super Mario into a billion-dollar global film franchise. And prior to Shari Redstone’s divestment of Paramount to Ellison, that studio saw success with Sonic the Hedgehog.
Then there’s the deftness Skydance and Paramount have already shown recently in regard to military-themed content, with major success of 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.
Call of Duty, meanwhile, is one of the most successful gaming franchises ever created, with 500 million copies of the “first-person shooter” sold over the last 16 years across over 20 main titles. And just as the fully maned Sy Sperling once famously touted how he wasn’t just the Hair Club for Men president, but an active client, as well, the 42-year-old Ellison revealed in Tuesday’s announcement an affinity for the Activision product he just got involved with.
“As a lifelong fan of Call of Duty this is truly a dream come true,” Ellison said in a statement. “From the first Allied campaigns in the original Call of Duty, through Modern Warfare and Black Ops, I’ve spent countless hours playing this franchise that I absolutely love. Being entrusted by Activision and players worldwide to bring this extraordinary storytelling universe to the big screen is both an honor and a responsibility that we don’t take lightly. We’re approaching this film with the same disciplined, uncompromising commitment to excellence that guided our work on Top Gun: Maverick, ensuring it meets the exceptionally high standards this franchise and its fans deserve. I can promise that we are resolute in our mission to deliver a cinematic experience that honors the legacy of this one-in-a-million brand – thrilling longtime fans of Call of Duty while captivating a whole new generation.”