Michael B Jordan is following up his Oscar win with the announcement of another new project: a big-screen adaptation of the hit video game series Battlefield.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the Sinners star will produce, and possibly star in, a film based on the long-running war series which is being hyped as the year’s most in-demand project to date in Hollywood
The film will also boast writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, fresh off his Mission: Impossible collaborations with Tom Cruise. He also received the Oscar for best original screenplay for the twisty thriller The Usual Suspects.
This week has reportedly seen the pair pitching the project to studios and streamers, including Apple and Sony, with a theatrical release being prioritised.
The Battlefield series started in 2002, and last year the 18th edition, named Battlefield 6, became the biggest selling game of the year. The Guardian’s Keith Stuart called Battlefield 6 “a thrilling, almost operatic shooter experience”.
There have been two failed attempts to turn Battlefield into a television series: once in 2012 from Fox and in 2016 from Paramount.
The news follows confirmation of Jordan’s role in a new Miami Vice movie from the Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski. He will star opposite Austin Butler in Miami Vice 85, which will be released in 2027.
This year will also see Jordan’s take on The Thomas Crown Affair. The third version of the romantic crime thriller is directed by Jordan and sees him star opposite Adria Arjona. Next week also sees the release of the Netflix animated animal adventure Swapped featuring Jordan’s voice in the lead role.
The Battlefield project also comes as video game movies continue to draw audiences at the box office. Last year’s A Minecraft Movie made $961m worldwide with a sequel on the way, and this year’s biggest movie to date is The Super Mario Galaxy Movie which has so far made $764m in less than a month.
This year will also see Mortal Kombat II, Streetfighter, The Angry Birds Movie 3 and Resident Evil hit the big screen.