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David Leitch is getting some well-deserved attention these days. After co-directing the first John Wick film, a job for which he was uncredited in the theaterical release, Leitch has become a rare example of a person getting the recognition they deserve, with hugely successful action pieces Atomic Blonde and The Fall Guy being tacked onto his now impressive resume. So, it only makes sense that Leitch would be attached to a project that has done its time and now deserves the limelight - that is, the eternally troubled Gears of War video game adaptation.

The news comes from The Hollywood Reporter, in an article published May 15. According to THR, Leitch will produce as well and direct the adaptation of the hit video game franchise, via his 87North banner co-owned by his wife and producing parter, Kelly McCormick. Jon Spaihts, who wrote the screenplays for Denis Villeneuve's Dune, Dune: Part Two, and the upcoming Dune: Messiah, has been tapped to write the script. The project is being produced for and by Netflix.

If it feels this is a lot of news regarding a Gears of War movie adaptation, it should, especially if you've been following the project's development. The Gears of Wars movie rights were first purchased by New Line Cinemas all the way back in 2007. The rights were lost by New Line in 2013, and then three years later, were picked up by Universal Pictures. It wasn't until six years after that that Netflix finally acquired the rights to produce the movie.

All the while, Gears of War was busy adding four core games, three spinoffs, two DLCs, eight novels, three comics, and a goshdarn boardgame to the franchise, growing its fanbase (and desire for a film) considerably. Now, those fans finally are getting some recognition from Hollywood, and they should be happy to know that it's being helmed by a guy who understands patience.

No release date for Netflix's Gears of War film has been announced.

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