Activision rejects Steven Spielberg's pitch to direct the Call of Duty movie as they didn't want to give him full creative control

Days after Activision announced that it is working on creating a live-action film adaption of the video game, Call of Duty, Matt Belloni reported that director Steven Spielberg had already pitched for the idea, which got rejected. 

According to Belloni, the Academy Award-winner is both an avid Call of Duty player as well as a fan of the franchise, had wanted the full creative control over the movie, which wasn't acceptable to Activision. 

Steven Spielberg wanted to direct a Call of Duty movie and even pitched his vision to Activision

The company rejected his demand for full creative control

(via Matt Belloni) pic.twitter.com/cQfJpI2vOd

— Dexerto (@Dexerto) September 5, 2025

The reporter believes that it is for this reason that the publisher chose to sell its rights to Paramount instead of teaming up with the Schindler's List director. Glitched Online also claims that Activision's rejection is ironic, considering the fact that Call of Duty has taken inspirations from Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan.

In place of Steven Spielberg, the new director who will take over the Call of Duty project has yet to be named in media. Meanwhile, Paramount appears to be excited for the project, with its CEO, David Ellison, calling it "a dream come true". 

Ellison, who has himself spent countless hours playing Call of Duty, said that the privilege of brining the game to the big screen is "an honor and responsibility that we don't take lightly."

The ​Academy Museum is curating an immersive exhibition of Steven Spielberg's Jaws is on its 50th anniversary

The story of Jaws thrilled Steven Spielberg long before the cameras rolled—inspiring him to make a film that would change cinema forever.

Jaws @ 50: The Definitive Inside Story is now streaming on @DisneyPlus and @hulu. pic.twitter.com/hmzwqpI3RA

— National Geographic TV (@NatGeoTV) July 12, 2025

While Steven Spielberg might not be directing Call of Duty's live-action film, another movie directed by him is being revived on the big screen recently. Spielberg's Jaws, which released in 1975, completes its 50th anniversary this year.

On that occasion, the Academy Museum has announced a celebration of the movie with a special, immersive event - Jaws: The Exhibition - where viewers will get a chance to dive deeper into the aspects of the movie's creation and its legacy. 

Jenny He, the senior exhibition curator at the Academy Museum, talked to IndieWire about it, claiming that they aimed to "parallel the sense of joy, revelation, and discovery" that the film created in the cinema space. He added:

"Whether you’ve seen ‘Jaws’ more times than you can count, or if you’ve never watched the film, this exhibition aims to recollect the movie experience. Visitors can find their favorite ‘Jaws’ moments or discover this classic film for the first time."

In the exhibition, attendees will get to see "a large display of vintage merchandise" from the movie's memorabilia". It will also offer visitors a change to see the film in the shoes of its makers and characters. Jenny He continued:​

"Visitors can create their own dolly zoom shot, a cinematography technique conceived by director Alfred Hitchcock and executed by second-unit cameraman Irmin Roberts for Vertigo (1958)."

The exhibition will open for public on September 14, 2025, making Jaws the first movie to which the museum has devoted its largest space.