When it released back in March 2016, The Division attracted the interest of gamers around the globe with a semi-plausible pandemic story involving tainted bank notes being distributed on Black Friday. This led to the decimation of New York's population, and as support structures wore down, the fall of organized civilization itself. Ubisoft confirmed two years ago that a movie based on the events in The Division was in the works, and now it has an action-oriented director attached to it: David Leitch.
Leitch is a recognizable name in the film industry, most recently because he directed Deadpool 2 after having taking the directing role for Atomic Blonde a year prior. Leitch is no stranger to filming complex action sequences, which should come as no surprise given he has 82 credits related to stunt performing and coordinating. A film based on The Division will undoubtedly be chock full of stunts and action scenes, making Leitch a good fit for the directing role. Stephen Gaghan had previously been attached as director, but his inexperience with action-heavy titles may have led to his replacement.
Sources from Variety have indicated that Leitch will first be directing a Fast & Furious spinoff starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham this fall, and will then take the reigns on The Division once filming for the former is completed. This would mean The Division enters production sometime in 2019, with Ubisoft potentially hoping to release The Division 2 alongside the film itself. The game's sequel currently has no release date, and given the bug-riddled launch of the original title, fans will be expecting a much smoother release for its successor.
Leitch will bring in his producing partner Kelly McCormick under the 8711 banner, with Ubisoft Motion Pictures aiding production alongside Freckle Films' Jessica Chastain and Kelly Carmichael. As rumored two years ago, it looks like Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker of Nine Stories will also be involved, with Gyllenhaal potentially taking a lead role in the movie and Jessica Chastain starring alongside him.
Ubisoft certainly isn't afraid to test the waters when it comes to transitioning its intellectual properties to the silver screen: an Assassin's Creed movie with Michael Fassbender proved to be financially successful in late 2016, and rumors are floating around that Ryan Reynolds may star in a Rainbow Six Siege movie. There's still an ample amount of time before The Division is set to begin production, but with the director, production crew, and cast beginning to assemble, the movie has certainly taken its first definitive steps to take shape.
The Division is available now for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. The movie has yet to enter production.
Source: Variety