Netflix’s live-action adaptation of the popular video game Gears of War is one step closer as Oscar-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts has joined the project.
Best known for co-writing Dune, Dune: Part Two and Doctor Strange, Spaihts will now take on the challenge of creating Gears of War, one of the richest and most celebrated video game sagas , with over 30 years to adapt 40 million copies sold.
“Gears of War is one of the greatest action games of all time, with vibrant characters, a beautifully rendered world, and a combat system that emphasizes the lethality of war and the importance of standing by your comrades,” Spaihts said in a statement to Variety. “It wants to be cinema and I’m thrilled to have the chance to contribute to it.”
In November 2022, Netflix announced a partnership with The Coalition to adapt the Gears of War universe. Together, they plan to first adapt the game into a live-action feature film, followed by an adult animated series, with the potential for more stories. The Gears of War games revolve around a fractured and on the brink of collapse society being utterly wiped out by the monstrous alien Locust race, a deadly subterranean menace. A ragtag task force known as the Delta Squad, led by the disgraced Sergeant Marcus Fenix, is now tasked with leading humanity’s last stand.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Jon and the Netflix team to bring Gears of War to life,” said The Coalition. “Jon is a master storyteller with a talent for creating epic sci-fi universes, and he genuinely loves Gears of War. We couldn’t ask for a better partner to honor our franchise and bring an authentic story to our fans.”
The Netflix film Gears of War marks the latest attempt to adapt the popular game credited with redefining the third-person tactical and cooperative shooter genre. New Line Cinema briefly had the rights to a film adaptation in 2007, then Scott Stuber, now head of original films at Netflix, joined Epic Games as a producer in 2013. Universal then hired F. Scott Frazier to write an adaptation in 2018, but no further action was taken on that project.
Now, with Netflix’s recruitment of Spaihts, Gears of War fans – who are one of gaming’s most passionate fan bases – have much to look forward to given the screenwriter’s wealth of experience in adapting major genre IPs.
Most recently, Spaihts, along with director Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Dune, which brought Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel to the big screen in blockbuster fashion. Spaihts and Villeneuve co-wrote the script for the second installment, which is due to hit theaters on November 3. He was also originally hired as showrunner for the HBO Max series Dune: The Sisterhood, but then stepped down to focus on Dune: Part Two.” His films to date include The Darkest Hour, Prometheus, The Mummy, and Passengers.
Spaihts is represented by CAA and Circle of Confusion.