'Call of Duty' trademarked for films

Five months after first hints, Activision registers name of its popular shooter series for use with "pre-recorded movies"; new Modern Warfare 2 trailer inside.

In May, outspoken Activision Blizzard CEO Bobby Kotick told The Hollywood Reporter that his company was toying with the idea of a reality TV show based on its Guitar Hero series. The same article quoted an anonymous source inside Activision as saying that another of the publisher's megahits, Call of Duty, was "being talked about for the big screen."

The new Modern Warfare 2 trailer shows the White House under siege by a lot more than the press corps.

Now, it appears that Activision has taken the first concrete step toward making a Call of Duty film. According to a US Patent & Trademark Office filing uncovered by the appropriately named blog Trademork, the publisher has trademarked the term "Call of Duty" for use in "pre-recorded movies featuring comedy, drama, action, adventure, music, theatrical performances and/or animation."

Activision's filing was made on September 21 and was still in process at the USPTO as of September 30. News of its existence comes the day after the publisher gave the world a taste of what a Call of Duty movie might look like with a two-minute trailer for Modern Warfare 2. The sneak peek at the game, due out November 10, has a cinematic sweep, with US forces fighting both RPG-wielding guerrillas and Russian terrorists committing an airport massacre. It ends with a literal bang, showing Washington, DC, as a war-torn, flaming ruin.

345 Comments

  • chasetrain17

    Posted Dec 3, 2009 5:03 pm PT

    Looks awesome can't wait.

  • yoda2287

    Posted Dec 1, 2009 2:13 pm PT

    WTF? A CoD Movie? Can't see it being good. I hate War movies. Whats the point of a CoD Movie anyway? Its just a War game. Why couldn't they just make a War Movie based in WWII? (Or when ever this Movie is set)

  • wjcj100

    Posted Oct 10, 2009 1:30 pm PT

    Go to modernwarfare247.com to see weapons and MORE!!!!! SPREAD THE WORD

  • TheMercMaster

    Posted Oct 9, 2009 12:25 pm PT

    Wait- Let me read the article.. Oh! Never mind! HAha

  • TheMercMaster

    Posted Oct 9, 2009 12:24 pm PT

    I like the Piano in the backround. And why does it look like the people are all choking and coughing? Very cinamatic trailer, too. Anyone else agree with me that they should make a Call of Duty movie, like they are with Halo? (Yeah, it's true. Except it's going to be anime...) Resident Evil did it, too. Except that is pretty much all made in CGI. What do you think? If they made a COD movie, should they make it in CGI or real people?

  • xialon

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 6:18 pm PT

    This may look like a diamond of an idea right now, but opening night might just show us that it was a bit of glass all along.

  • Anayalator408

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 6:12 pm PT

    O.O dude... im speechless

  • kingNael96

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 5:44 pm PT

    Washington D.C on fire, HOLY CRAP

  • cjasko94

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 4:33 pm PT

    @ ADTR-ZERO
    Well unlike most people, I actually enjoy SOCOM: Confrontation.....with the latest patch that is @ DeadlyOnez
    LMAO Obama! Haha I could see him saying that.

  • DeadlyOnez

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 2:41 pm PT

    lol @ Willceace

    Yea I bet and you have to pay with points.

    I wonder if I will receive any achievements for watching

  • DeadlyOnez

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 2:36 pm PT

    I wonder if Obama will make a cameo! I can see him now

    "you best be off my property son I aint playing! YOU HEARD!"

  • spielvorbei

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 10:34 am PT

    I guess they know the first weekend that these "Game Inspired" movies show is when they will reel in the fanboys. I don't blame them.

  • JohnnyBiz

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 10:27 am PT

    TONS of TRASH-TALKING kids sitting in an auditorium yelling at each other..... THAT is what this movie should realistically be

  • Blu-Fan-Boy

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 3:12 am PT

    HOLLYWOOD SHOULD NOT DO GAMING FILMS NEVER!!!!!! PLEASE STOP THE TOURCHER!!!!!

  • Willceace

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 2:51 am PT

    I wonder if they'll make 75% of the film then release the rest as downloadable content.

  • impl0sion

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 1:47 am PT

    This is lame. I don't blame Activision for trying, but it's lame.

  • Altiar25 posted Oct 7, 2009 1:20 am PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Altiar25

    Posted Oct 7, 2009 1:20 am PT (hide)

    CoD sucks, just like its community of trashtalking kids.

  • Jozzoh

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:59 pm PT

    I hope it doesn't suck like Doom

  • JohnnyBiz posted Oct 6, 2009 8:32 pm PT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    JohnnyBiz

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 8:32 pm PT (hide)

    *yawn*

  • DarthMstrChf

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 5:10 pm PT

    chocobo777
    u really think cod4 was suckish? I have more than ten days of playing time on that game

  • bgphil08

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 4:01 pm PT

    hopefully this is just to protect it from becoming a Uwe Boll movie

  • halojp23

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:58 pm PT

    a don't even think call of duty has a story. plus this is just what i think that hollwood will ruin something again think of all the stuff they had ruin.and before people get pumped about this think of all the other games that was going to get turned into movie that never happen.but who know if they dont set the budget to high it will happen.

  • xtremeflem2day

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:53 pm PT

    Saving private Ryan, and Blackhawk down, and Band of brothers, are all truly amazing. At the same time though, another popular video game based on a movie? I'm sorry, but if we have Cod movies, hollywood just totally lost it.

  • BenBenBen93

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:37 pm PT

    the thing with a call of duty movie is that they simply don't have to be in sequence or at a certain point in time. we might be seeing saving privet Ryan or black hawk down who know????

  • medicalmj

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:33 pm PT

    I've always been a big fan of war movies and there haven't been many of them lately. Doesn't hurt to make a movie. If the movie sucks and gets bad reviews then I just wont watch it.

    Who knows though it could end up being a good movie.

  • killeroo

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:26 pm PT

    are activision the new ea?

  • chocobo777

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:23 pm PT

    great first thay take a good game (cod 1-3) and make suckish games (cod 4-5) and now a movie. *sigh* havent you killed cod enuf

  • biagio55

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:23 pm PT

    no thnks. i dont need another game gettin a rubbish movie done after it to make greedy companies more money. stick to what you know game companies!!!! also i agree with what puppetmaster786 said.

  • PuppetMaster786

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:18 pm PT

    though it's an excellent series, i have had too much of it. They don't have too much variety, like Final Fantasy. I would never be saying this if my stupid cousins didn't stay at my house for the entire summer and play call of duty morning till night.

  • Ashley_wwe

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 2:00 pm PT

    Awesome! would love a Call Of Duty movie based directly off of the original PC game .

  • wwervin

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:51 pm PT

    I think we've had a lack of war movies lately.. Idk I can't remember the last time a really good war movie came out and it might be interesting. I like the concept.

  • 3minty3

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:21 pm PT

    MW had so many scenes like Black hawk down it would make no sense to make a CoD movie.

  • bibliomaniac15

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:19 pm PT

    Only if it's set in WWII.

  • daveyf03

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:10 pm PT

    What a terrible basis for a film.

  • pidow

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:09 pm PT

    Call of Duty a movie, this I will have to see.

  • mk360star

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 1:07 pm PT

    OMG!!!!
    I CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS GAME, IT'S GONNA BE AWESOME!!!!

  • Amz1217

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:59 pm PT

    a COD: Modern Warfare films looks cool.......knowing how good the game is this film should be awesome

  • big-boss-91

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:57 pm PT

    Saving Private Ryan, A bridge too far and Black hawk down is one of the best war films i've seen but a war film based on a game doesn't convince me

  • Airlon

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:54 pm PT

    I'm going to have to agree with Steel_Hawk_99 Black Hawk Down was the best

  • Cidious84

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:12 pm PT

    @silentsniper359 @andypipkin85

    i agree with u both but not about the halo movie andy !!!

  • Steel_Hawk_99

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:11 pm PT

    Black Hawk Down was the best modern war movie ever imo, let's just leave it at that shall we?

  • silentsniper359

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:06 pm PT

    comment below me
    a halo movie thats the worst idea ive ever heard

  • andypipkin85

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:02 pm PT

    Why the heck would you make a movie thats based on a game thats based on every war movie already out?
    FFS give us a Halo movie already, not this BS.

  • Hunt270

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 12:01 pm PT

    Hmmmmmm...interesting...

  • Nautilus1515

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:59 am PT

    this makes no sense. Call of Duty is pretty much every war movie that has been released. Whats gonna make it different from any other war/ action/ military movie? Cause its called Call of Duty? Sell out some more activision, sell out some more.....

  • Dynamo11

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:48 am PT

    So wait.... it'll be an emotional rollercoaster ride, up until the point where a 6 year old I-love-CoD-so-much-but-never-played-the-first-ones decide to crouch and stand repeatedly on the protagonists face!

    Come on guys, really.
    Then again I like war films and it's just an excuse to blow sh*t up.

  • steveguttenberg

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:38 am PT

    So it's a movie based on a game based on real life. Sounds really boring.

  • -Canas-

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 11:24 am PT

    Ha-Ha!

    Headshots

  • kegmiester

    Posted Oct 6, 2009 10:53 am PT

    Well, i can't hope for much from this movie idea. I suppose good luck to the poor sap who attempts to drink from the poison chalice that we call video game based movies.

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