David Leitch is quickly becoming one of the most in-demand directors in Hollywood. Following his success co-directing John Wick in 2014, he helmed the Charlize Theron-led Atomic Blonde, and was signed on to direct Deadpool 2, which hits cinemas Friday, May 18. Now, he’s been tapped by Ubisoft to helm their highly anticipated adaptation of video game The Division.
Tom Clancy’s The Division was released to game consoles in 2016 and quickly became Ubisoft’s best selling game ever, generating an estimated $330 million globally in just the first week of its release.
Set in New York City during the aftermath of a smallpox pandemic, the game revolves around an agent of the Strategic Homeland Division who is tasked with helping to rebuild the Division’s operations in a near-deserted but crime-filled Manhattan, while investigating the nature of the outbreak and having to battle criminals who have survived.
The instant success of the game led to Ubisoft setting up a film adaptation quickly, securing Jessica Chastain and Jake Gyllenhaal in the lead roles. Stephen Gaghan (Gold, Syriana) was signed on to direct, but left the project at some point, which has allowed Leitch to take over.
Video game adaptations have notoriously fared poorly in the past, but this is one to get excited about. The source material actually has a solid story, which doesn’t force a dramatically rewritten plot for the film, and getting Chastain and Gyllenhaal on board is a huge coup. Now add in Leitch, who has proven to be a very adept director of action, and The Division has a chance to break the mould.
However, The Division won’t be Leitch’s next film. He’s helming the Fast & Furious spinoff set to star Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham, which starts shooting later this year, but there’s also the possibility of Fox wanting to keep him in the fold for future Deadpool sequels, and he’s also working on ideas for an Atomic Blonde follow-up too.
I did mention he was in-demand, right?
#Peace.Love.TheDivision
