'The Division', Based On The Tom Clancy Video Game, Heads To Netflix With Jake Gyllenhaal And Jessica Chastain
Video game movies haven't had much luck on the big screen – so maybe Netflix is the solution. At least that's what Ubisoft is hoping, as The Division movie, based on the Tom Clancy online video game, heads to the streaming service. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain have been attached to the project for a while now, and will remain the stars for the Netflix film. Deadpool 2's David Leitch is set to direct.
A film adaptation of Ubisoft's Tom Clancy's The Division was first announced back in 2016, but the movie failed to materialize. Perhaps the delay had something to do with the fact that video game movies continue to flounder on the big screen. Case in point: 2016 was the same year the Assassin's Creed movie, based on another Ubisoft property, hit theaters – and we all know how that turned out.
Rather than abandon The Division movie entirely, Ubisoft Motion Pictures have found a new home for it: Netflix. The move to Netflix was announced during Ubisoft's panel at E3, where developers present new and upcoming video game-related content. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain were both announced as starring in the movie adaptation back in 2016, and Netflix has confirmed they're still attached.
[Access Granted. Commencing Transmission]
Director @DavidMLeitch, @Jes_Chastain, and Jake Gyllenhaal are bringing Ubisoft's The Division to Netflix. It's the Tom Clancy high-stakes action you love, in the pandemic stricken Manhattan that offers no second chances. pic.twitter.com/cpi6JCp4EM
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 10, 2019
In 2018, Hobbs and Shaw helmer David Leitch was announced as the movie's director, and he too is still involved. Rafe Judkins, a writer on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the upcoming Amazon Wheel of Time series, and the Uncharted movie, will tackle the script. Here's the synopsis, per Netflix:
In the near future, a pandemic virus is spread via paper money on Black Friday, decimating the city of New York and killing millions. By Christmas, what's left of society has descended into chaos. A group of civilians, trained to operate in catastrophic times, are activated in an attempt to save who and what remains.
The Division launched in 2016, and quickly became Ubisoft's best-selling game, as well as the game industry's biggest first-week launch for a new game franchise, generating around $330 million globally. The sequel, Tom Clancy's The Division 2, was released this year.
It'll be interesting to see how this all plays out. While audiences have tended to avoid video game adaptations on the big screen, they might be more inclined to check out something like this if it's available in their own homes. It's also a big deal to have stars like Gyllenhaal and Chastain appearing in a Netflix property, and that will surely draw in viewers as well.