Jason Momoa is set to star in a film adaptation of the popular video game Helldivers, with Sony Pictures and PlayStation Productions backing the project. The film, directed by Justin Lin, is slated for theatrical release on .
The announcement, made on , adds another high-profile video game adaptation to Momoa’s growing filmography. He’s currently involved in several other game-based projects, including reprising his role in a sequel to A Minecraft Movie and portraying Blanka in the upcoming Street Fighter adaptation alongside 50 Cent’s Balrog. He also recently starred in The Wrecking Crew with Dave Bautista, further solidifying his position as a leading action star.
Helldivers, originally released in 2015 by Arrowhead Game Studios, puts players in the role of elite soldiers tasked with defending the fictional planet of Super Earth from alien threats. The game gained renewed popularity with the release of Helldivers 2 in , quickly becoming Sony’s biggest PC release, surpassing the sales of 2018’s God of War. Within four months of its launch, Helldivers 2 had sold over 12 million units across PlayStation 5 and PC, and has since expanded to Xbox.
The film’s narrative will likely draw heavily from the lore established in Helldivers 2, which is set in the 22nd century following Super Earth’s victory in the First Galactic War. The game centers on containing outbreaks of genetically-engineered bugs, known as Terminds, while simultaneously defending against attacks from Automatons and the mysterious Illuminate. The game’s satirical tone and over-the-top action are heavily inspired by the 1997 sci-fi film Starship Troopers, based on Robert A. Heinlein’s 1959 novel.
Justin Lin, known for his work on the Fast & Furious franchise, including The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift and Fast & Furious 6, was announced as the director in . Lin also produced Momoa’s recent installment, Fast X, and other films in the Fast & Furious series, establishing a working relationship that likely contributed to this collaboration. Gary Dauberman, known for his work on the It films, penned the screenplay for the adaptation.
This project represents another step in Sony and PlayStation Productions’ ongoing efforts to bring their popular video game franchises to the big screen. Previous collaborations include the 2022 film Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, which grossed over $407 million worldwide. They have also partnered on the Peacock series Twisted Metal and the critically acclaimed HBO series The Last of Us.
Interestingly, Arrowhead Game Studios will not be directly involved in the creation of the Helldivers movie, with the project being handled solely by PlayStation Productions and Sony Pictures. However, the studio’s CEO, Shams Jorjani, previously joked about hoping for a cast of “A-listers” who would be “violently killed immediately,” a sentiment reflecting the game’s often chaotic and disposable nature of its player characters.
The success of Helldivers 2 has clearly fueled the momentum behind the film adaptation. The game’s popularity demonstrates a strong existing fanbase eager to see the world and characters brought to life on the big screen. Sony will be hoping to replicate the success of Uncharted and The Last of Us, proving that video game adaptations can be both critically and commercially viable.
Beyond Helldivers, Momoa remains a busy actor. He’s also set to play intergalactic bounty hunter Lobo in Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, scheduled for release on . The actor’s diverse range of roles, from action heroes to comic book characters, underscores his versatility and appeal to a broad audience.
