The Gears of War movie in development at Netflix is underway, with the screenplay being written right now.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, husband and wife production duo David Leitch and Kelly McCormick briefly discussed their work on the upcoming adaptation of Xbox Game Studios’ iconic third-person shooter franchise.
Leitch — who is directing the Gears of War movie — is currently working on the script alongside writer Jon Spaihts, who co-wrote the screenplays for Ridley Scott’s Prometheus, as well Denis Villeneuve’s Dune Part 1 and Dune Part 2.
“We’re writing right now with Jon Spaihts, and we’re really excited about it,” says McCormick. “There’s a lot of energy from The Coalition and from Netflix, because The Coalition is releasing a game in 2026.”
“We won’t hit that release date, but maybe something that feels relevant to the release of the new game. It’s an opportunity for David to do a war film, which he hasn’t gotten to do yet, and a bit of sci-fi in his own way with this beloved IP in his own way.”
While we’ve known since 2023 that Spaihts was attached to the project, this is the first confirmation that work on the script is actually underway.
A big couple of years for Gears of War
After being dormant for a while, it’s a big time for Gears of War at Xbox, with The Coalition launching Gears of War: Reloaded on Aug. 26, 2025. This remaster brings upgraded visuals to the original game, with 4K resolution, 120 FPS in multiplayer, and other updates.
Notably, in addition to launching on Xbox Series X|S, Windows PC, and Xbox Game Pass, it’s also the first time a Gears of War game will have launched on PlayStation 5.
Looking ahead, the next new mainline game, Gears of War: E-Day, is slated to launch at some point in 2026. This game is set during the infamous Emergence Day event, where the Locust Horde erupted from underground to wreak havoc on humanity.
Importantly, 2026 will also mark the 20th anniversary of the Gears of War franchise.
In addition to the Gears of War movie, Netflix and The Coalition have also agreed to work on animated series, though there hasn’t been any update on this front yet.
Fallout, Gears of War, and maybe even Wolfenstein are all being adapted
While the Gears of War movie might not be launching alongside E-Day in 2026, it’s a big time for video game adaptations at Xbox all-around. A Minecraft Movie was a smash hit in theaters earlier this year, racing chicken jockeys past the $950 million mark at the global box office.
Season 2 of the Fallout TV series is set to premiere on December 17 for Prime Video, bringing new weekly episodes for one of the biggest Amazon shows yet.
The first season of the series crossed over 100 million views as of October 2024, and Season 2 looks bigger and bolder in practically every way. The teaser trailer promises plenty of action for the cast across the city of New Vegas, with some interesting secrets for the eagle-eyed.
Amazon is also reported to be interested in a TV adaptation of MachineGames’ Wolfenstein reboots, with some of the same production team behind the Fallout TV series also reportedly on the project.
Wolfenstein tells the story of a world where the Nazis won World War 2, with a resistance group fighting back against the now-global regime.
It might be a while before we learn or see more for the Gears of War film, but as a huge fan of the games (as well as a lover of Dune and a resolute Prometheus defender) I’ll be waiting eagerly for more information as it comes.
