A Call of Duty movie is officially in the works. According to Deadline, Peter Berg and Taylor Sheridan have joined the Paramount-backed project, with the pair set to co-write and produce, and Berg taking the director’s chair. For fans of their previous collaborations — Hell or High Water and Wind River — that’s an exciting prospect for Call of Duty.
Still, there’s plenty we don’t know. The best Call of Duty games span multiple storylines across different studios, meaning the film could draw from Modern Warfare, Black Ops, or something entirely new. Whatever the case, its casting will be crucial.
A Dream Call of Duty Movie Fancast
As an actor and a long-time fan of both Call of Duty and film, this news is the perfect opportunity to imagine what a dream cast might look like — one that reflects both the tone of the games and the cinematic sensibilities of Sheridan and Berg’s work in a fancast of classic characters in Call of Duty games and their own cinematic universe. It's important to note, before delving into the details, that given the project's current nebulous nature and the already cinematic presentation of these games, there will be considerations made for all facets of both the games and the performers. The Call of Duty franchise has already featured some seriously brilliant actors, as have Berg and Sheridan in their previous work, so I want to be cognizant of that and not let that count anyone out.
For simplicity, this fancast focuses on WW2, World at War, the Black Ops series, and the Modern Warfare series, as they’re the most grounded and likely influences for Berg and Sheridan. Titles like Ghosts, Infinite Warfare, and Vanguard are omitted for now, given their distance from relevance and the tone of the filmmakers’ previous work. There are a lot of characters to choose from, and some I've had to leave off the list, but these games and their characters, I think, will be most likely to be referenced in some way in whatever finished product comes, should it be inspired by them.
Additionally, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is excluded from the list for villainous reasons.
Call of Duty: WW2 Fancast
Casting a potential Call of Duty: WW2 movie was maybe the best part of this list, purely because it seemed challenging and experimental. That said, I think it's also the least likely pick of the bunch for potential adaptation.
- Ronald "Red" Daniels — Lewis Pullman
Pullman is an incredible actor whose star continues to rise following this year's Thunderbolts movie, but what I'm really tapping into with this pick is his turn as Major Major in Hulu's adaptation of Catch-22. In short, he's got the earnest sensibility, he looks the part, and his range is proven to be expansive.
- PFC Robert Zussman — Jonathan Tucker
Jonathan Tucker originated the role of Zussman in the original game, and based on that incredible performance, I see no need to change anything. He may be a little older now, but the dynamic between Zussman and Red isn't reliant on age.
- Technical Sergeant William Pierson — Joel Kinnaman
Josh Duhamel was a fantastic Pierson, a standout in much the same way Jonathan Tucker was, but should he be unwilling to return, it's a role that has the potential to grow in complexity with another actor, too. Based on his range as Takeshi Kovacs in Altered Carbon season one, Kinnaman has the depth and experience as an actor to add that to the character.
- First Lieutenant Joseph Turner — Jim Parrack
Parrack is an actor who doesn't receive a lot of credit in acting conversations, considering the scope of his work. He's got experience with the genre in movies like Fury, and a bigger, more emotional part like this would work wonderfully with him in it.
Call of Duty: World at War Fancast
World at War felt difficult to cast only because it is no longer particularly adaptable. Parts can be extracted, expanded upon, but only two or three characters would be essential to tell the tale, and one role in particular seemed impossible to recast because it'd already been perfected.
- Corporal Roebuck — Ben Foster
A frequent collaborator of Sheridan's, Foster is an incredible actor with an immense body of work to prove it. Roebuck is a role he can do easily.
- Private Chernov — Alec Utgoff
Most will know him as the lovable Dr. Alexei in Stranger Things, and that works to his benefit here, with Private Chernov. It's a role that requires a certain amount of innocence and sadness, and I think Utgoff has that in spades.
- Sergeant Viktor Reznov — Ethan Hawke
There is no replacing the sheer star power of an actor like Gary Oldman, but, given his age, a live-action turn with Reznov is arguably not feasible for him anymore. That said, if any actor would go out on a limb and really go for it in much the same way, it would be Ethan Hawke. The Good Lord Bird is most present in my mind when deciding on this casting, and for good reason; he's scraggly, he's unhinged, he's brilliant, and I'd love to see him take a shot at a character like CoD's Reznov.
Call of Duty: Black Ops Series Fancast
Things will be structured a bit differently in the Black Ops series, purely for formatting reasons. I'll begin with the games and characters set in the past, then proceed with the characters from the more futuristic Black Ops games.
Black Ops, Cold War, and Black Ops 6 Characters
- Jane Harrow — Dawn Olivieri
Dawn Olivieri played the villainous Harrow in Black Ops 6, and she has actually already worked with Sheridan a few times. If it works, let it work.
- Troy Marshall — Stephan James
Stephan James, a Canadian Golden Globe nominee, could easily pull this off. He can look the part and has incredible chops as a performer, to the degree that he could bring a little more depth to a character who otherwise didn't do very much.
- Grigori Weaver — Gene Farber
This was surprisingly difficult to cast because, if you think about it, Grigori Weaver is a ridiculous character. An eyepatch-wearing ex-Soviet spy who ends up fighting zombies? Few actors spring to mind for that process, so I thought the safe bet would be letting the actor who originated the role (deftly, might I add) pick it back up.
- Jason Hudson — Liev Schreiber
Schreiber's star power would mean his Hudson would be a very different take on the character, but that sounds great to me. I'm not entirely sure how it'd look, but I'm more than happy to imagine him chewing the scenery in a Black Ops film.
- Joseph Bowman — O'Shea Jackson Jr.
This one is a no-brainer; his dad originated the role, he looks and sounds just like him, and he's proven himself to be a great actor with movies like Straight Outta Compton and heist flick Den of Thieves. Additionally, based on his work, he appears to have received excellent training with weapons.
- Russell Adler — Robert Redford
This is my only completely impossible casting decision, but I will stand by it forever, because nobody could do Adler better. Redford is one of Hollywood's greatest stars, and he perfectly encapsulates the era and the feel of a character like Adler. If Adler does end up in the actual Call of Duty movie, I do not envy the casting director who has to fill those shoes without Redford.
- Frank Woods — Frank Grillo
This is one of the harder casting choices here, but based on his energy in 2020's Boss Level, I think Grillo really might have it in him to do Woods well. He's experienced as an actor and with the genre, so I'm for it.
- Alex Mason — Sam Worthington
Worthington nailed Alex Mason the first time around, so there’s no need to fix what isn’t broken.
Black Ops 2 Characters
- David "Section" Mason — Milo Ventimiglia
Milo Ventimiglia has already been cast as Section in Black Ops 7, and he's a proven talent on-screen, so let's just run with it. Plus, he could come off as related to Sam Worthington.
- Mike Harper — Matt Jones
As much as I love Michael Rooker, he's also aged out of the role, something proven by his sort of Uncanny Valley appearance in Black Ops 7. Matt Jones looks the part and has some serious credits under his belt, like Breaking Bad and Brightburn, so I say let him give it a go.
- Raul Menendez — Pedro Alonso
Menendez could very easily be hype-casted with actors like Pedro Pascal or Wagner Moura, but I think Pedro Alonso of Money Heist has the look, the skills, and the presence to portray the character brilliantly.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Series Fancast
The Modern Warfare series is challenging because there are two versions to choose from when adapting or casting, but for the sake of brevity and clarity, I opted for the modern rendition. Additionally, you might notice there are not many changes — that's because the games have become so cinematic that many of the original casting decisions would work out of the box. I think these castings and the new additions work retroactively, however, and could very easily take the spots of their characters from the old Modern Warfare trilogy.
- Sergeant Marcus Griggs — LaMonica Garrett
The original Griggs is a frequent collaborator of Sheridan's, so a change in synergy is not necessary.
- Kate Laswell — Rya Kihlstedt
She was one of the best aspects of the first Modern Warfare, so I don't see the need for a change in actor here.
- Phillip Graves — Warren Kole
Warren Kole's performance, in my mind, was the standout of Modern Warfare 2, so I don't think a change is needed. He also has a tremendous TV background to draw from.
- General Herschel Shepherd — Glenn Morshower
Morshower is an incredibly talented actor, and while it took me a moment to adjust to him as Shepard in Modern Warfare 2, his take on the character is fascinating and worthy of a live-action return.
- Vladimir Makarov — Danila Kozlovsky
A Russian actor relatively unknown in Hollywood beyond the show Vikings, Kozlovsky is my pick primarily due to his appearance. He has a darkness that the in-game actor, Julian Kostov, lacked, so it'd be a valuable change.
- Alex Keller — Brandon Sklenar
I wanted to play with Alex's casting primarily because, out of the three recent Modern Warfare games, the first has the most narrative heart, and it's also the one that could benefit the most from a bigger, upcoming name. For anyone on TikTok, Sklenar's name has been mentioned in many a Batman fan cast post, but beyond that, it's tough to deny that he brought serious weight to Sheridan's 1923. He could meaningfully bring something new to the character, and he looks the part, too.
- Nikolai — Nikita Yefremov
I was blown away by Yefremov in the Tetris movie, of all things. His range and capacity for both drama and lightheartedness in that film make me think he'd kill it in this role.
- Kyle "Gaz" Garrick — Elliot Knight
Playing as Gaz was one of the most significant changes to the reboot franchise, and although I had some trepidation about it way back when, Eliot Knight's performance quickly alleviated that fear. I see no reason to shift gears.
- Farah Karim — Claudia Doumit
Since her performance as Farah in Modern Warfare 2019, Doumit has skyrocketed to being a television giant on shows like The Boys, and its spinoff Gen V. If I were the Call of Duty movies casting director, I'd leverage that to bring her back into the fold.
- Simon "Ghost" Riley — Samuel Roukin
This might be a hot take, but Roukin's appeal to me lies in the voice alone. I couldn't care less who's actually under the mask, as long as Roukin's voice is coming from underneath it.
- John "Soap" MacTavish — Neil Ellice
Neil Ellice is Soap now. He's just that good in the role. No change.
- Captain John Price — Barry Sloane
Last but certainly not least, much in the same way that Ellice embodies Soap, Sloane is now Price. This should never be changed. His performance was brilliant, so why try to do anything else?
All in all, that’s my dream lineup. I'm certainly not a casting director or expert of any kind, but I stand behind the list as it's built from years of playing Call of Duty and appreciating both film as a genre and the movies of Berg and Sheridan. Some picks might be controversial, but a franchise this big deserves a casting conversation just as ambitious, so that's fine by me.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 66 /100 Critics Rec: 34%
- Released
- November 14, 2025
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes, Use of Drugs
- Developer(s)
- Treyarch, Raven Software
- Publisher(s)
- Activision
