‘The Division’, Based On The Tom Clancy Video Game, Heads To Netflix With Jake Gyllenhaal And Jessica Chastain
By Chris Evangelista/June 10, 2019 3:30 pm EST
A film adaptation of Ubisoft’s Tom Clancy’s The Division was first announced back in 2016, but the movie failed to materialize. Perhaps the delay had something to do with the fact that video game movies continue to flounder on the big screen. Case in point: 2016 was the same year the Assassin’s Creed movie, based on another Ubisoft property, hit theaters – and we all know how that turned out.
Rather than abandon The Division movie entirely, Ubisoft Motion Pictures have found a new home for it: Netflix. The move to Netflix was announced during Ubisoft’s panel at E3, where developers present new and upcoming video game-related content. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain were both announced as starring in the movie adaptation back in 2016, and Netflix has confirmed they’re still attached.
[Access Granted. Commencing Transmission]
Director @DavidMLeitch, @Jes_Chastain, and Jake Gyllenhaal are bringing Ubisoft’s The Division to Netflix. It’s the Tom Clancy high-stakes action you love, in the pandemic stricken Manhattan that offers no second chances. pic.twitter.com/cpi6JCp4EM
— Netflix Geeked (@NetflixGeeked) June 10, 2019
The Division launched in 2016, and quickly became Ubisoft’s best-selling game, as well as the game industry’s biggest first-week launch for a new game franchise, generating around $330 million globally. The sequel, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, was released this year.
It’ll be interesting to see how this all plays out. While audiences have tended to avoid video game adaptations on the big screen, they might be more inclined to check out something like this if it’s available in their own homes. It’s also a big deal to have stars like Gyllenhaal and Chastain appearing in a Netflix property, and that will surely draw in viewers as well.
