It was recently announced that a Call of Duty movie is incoming and set to drop on June 30, 2028. It’s the result of a partnership between Activision and Paramount, and while we don’t know how the story will unfold, it’s a safe bet that it’ll feature all-out warfare at every moment.
The movie’s co-writer, co-producer, and director, Peter Berg, recently came into the spotlight because of a past interview. In 2013, Berg slammed ‘war video games’, including Call of Duty, labelling them ‘pathetic’ and suggesting that anyone playing them is ‘weak’.
Times Have Changed
In 2013, Peter Berg certainly would not have found himself writing, producing, and directing a Call of Duty movie. That’s because, in an old interview with Esquire, he threw immense shade at the concept of war video games.
The interview was centered around Berg’s insistence of ‘showcasing masculinity’ in his movies, influenced heavily by his military-centric upbringing. He suggested that young men should stop playing video games and take up sports, a statement made around the time he was working on Lone Survivor, a movie that itself could be considered a Call of Duty concept.
Esquire asked Berg what he thought about war video games, and the Call of Duty movie director said:
Pathetic. Pathetic. Keyboard courage. Can’t stand it. The only people that I give a Call of Duty get-out-of-jail-free card is the military. They’re out there serving and they’re bored and they want to entertain themselves. Okay, maybe. Kids? Uh-uh.
… I think it’s pathetic. I think anyone that sits around playing video games for four hours… It’s weak. Get out, do something.
(Thanks to GamesRadar for the spot)
When Berg was bringing Lone Survivor to life, he travelled to Iraq and aligned himself with real Navy SEALs, working to understand their training, discipline, and efforts. Little did he know, just over a decade later, he’d find himself pioneering the world’s first Call of Duty live-action adaptation.
It’s not possible to know if the likes of Activision are aware of Berg’s comments, but it’s a relatively safe assumption that his views have evolved over the last thirteen-or-so years.
Do you think Peter Berg should still captain the Call of Duty movie? Let us know what you’re thinking on the Insider Gaming Discord server.
For more Insider Gaming coverage, check out the news that the first AC game might get the Resynced treatment
Grant has been gaming for 30+ years and in the industry for 10+. You'll probably find him playing a post-apocalyptic game or an extraction shooter somewhere.
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