Netflix just announced that it is creating a new live-action feature film and an adult animated series based on Gears of War. The recent announcement came on November 7, marking Gears of War’s 16th anniversary.Microsoft Game Studio and Epic Games released Gears of War as an Xbox exclusive in 2006. The third-person cover shooter saw an overwhelmingly positive reception from critics and players alike, earning a 94/100 on Metacritic and 93.97% on GameRankings. This made it 2006’s second-highest-rated game on both sites. Gears of War went on to win multiple awards and spawned four sequels, two prequels, including 2020’s turn-based tactics game Gears Tactics, and multiple books and comics.Netflix announced its upcoming Gears of War film and animated series over Twitter. Unfortunately, the streaming service didn’t say much more beyond that and has not revealed a release window for either project. However, Netflix’s tweet did confirm that the film will release first, with the animated series coming later. It’s also unclear whether the movie and show will tell a continuous story or are separate projects.
The plot is also an unknown, and previously proposed Gears of War films were not set to be direct adaptations. New Line Cinema purchased the rights to a Gears of War film all the way back in 2007, and it would have served as a prequel to the original game. However, it underwent multiple rewrites before the studio quietly dropped the project. Universal Pictures announced a new version in 2016, though that Gears of War movie would have taken place in an alternate universe disconnected from the world of the games. It’s unclear if the Netflix film has any connection to either project.
Gears of War fans had a mixed but generally positive reaction to Netflix’s announcement. Some expressed concerns about whether or not the film and series will stay faithful to the source material or were worried that Netflix would “ruin” the series for one reason or another. Meanwhile, different commenters pointed to the success of shows like The Witcher, The Cuphead Show, Castlevania, and the recent Cyberpunk: Edgerunners as arguments in favor of the Netflix adaptation.
Many fans also had suggestions about casting choices. Former WWE wrestler Dave Bautista seems to be the popular choice for Gears of War's Marcus Fenix. As an actor, he’s best known for portraying Drax the Destroyer in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bautista’s other major supporting roles include but are not limited to the 2017 James Bond film Spectre, 2017’s Blade Runner 2049, and the 2021 version of Dune. Other casting suggestions include casting Ryan Reynolds as Baird and Lester Speight reprising his role as Cole.