Some movement has finally happened for Universal’s adaptation of the Gears of War video game franchise. According to Deadline, the studio has hired screenwriter Shane Salerno to pen the script. Salerno’s previous works include the scripts for James Cameron’s Avatar sequels, Michael Bay’s Armageddon and Ridley Scott’s The Cartel.
Universal and Microsoft announced a partnership last year, timed to coincide with the release of Gears of War 4. Rod Ferguson, head of The Coalition, the developer now behind the Gears of War franchise, said the film would not be based off any of the games, but would rather be a new and original story set in the series’ universe.
Gears of War takes place on the planet Sera that sees humanity on the brink of extinction. They have been fighting the Locust Horde, a race of underground monsters, for 15 years and are close to losing the war. Their only hope are Gears, soldiers of the Coalition of Ordered Governments who are jacked up and ready to do whatever it takes to defend humanity. Created in 2006, the series has been a huge hit for Xbox and Microsoft with four main games in the series and a prequel and several tie-in novels.
No word yet on when Universal is hoping to enter production, but now that Salerno is writing a script, hopefully more announcements will follow.
Originally published May 4, 2017. Updated April 15, 2018.
