‘Deadpool 2’ director signs on to direct ‘The Division’ adaptation

By Steven Petite Published April 20, 2018

The Division — Image used with permission by copyright holder

The adaptation of Ubisoft’s popular 2016 third-person shooter The Division has found a new director. Deadpool 2 director David Leitch has signed onto the film project, further solidifying it as one of the most star-studded video game adaptations in the works.

According to Variety, Leitch looks to start work on the project sometime next year. His schedule is a bit full at the moment. Not only does he have Deadpool 2 coming to theaters next month, but he is signed on to direct the Fast and Furious spinoff featuring Jason Statham and Dwayne Johnson. Leitch will begin work on The Division after the Fast and Furious spinoff is finished filming, with production slated to go underway this fall.

Leitch takes over for Stephen Gaghan, the Oscar award-winning screenwriter of Traffic and original director attached to the adaptation. Leitch will also serve as a producer with his producing partner Kelly McCormick and their 87Eleven production company.

He joins a project that has been on the table since mid-2016, just months after The Division launched for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain have been attached to the project since it was announced, and both are still slated as producers with their respective production companies, Nine Stories and Freckle Films. Ubisoft Motion Pictures will also produce the film.

Developed by Ubisoft under the Tom Clancy banner, The Division tells the story of a near-future New York City ravaged by a biochemical attack. Starting on Black Friday, the smallpox virus is planted on paper bills and quickly spreads across the city. Within a month, New York City turns into a dystopian wasteland. The United States government activates a covert team of sleeper agents, presumably led by Gyllenhaal and Chastain in the film, to find the source of the virus and restore order to what is left of Manhattan.

Last month, Ubisoft announced The Division 2, a sequel that will be shown off at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in June. No release window for the sequel or movie has been revealed, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the pair arrive around the same time to build excitement.

Topics

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Steven is a writer from Northeast Ohio currently based in Louisiana. He writes about video games and books, and consumes…

Gaming

MW2 Raid guide: How to complete the Atomgrad Raid

Characters walking through underground facility in Modern Warfare II.

The first Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II Raid known as Atomgrad is available now as part of the Season 1 Reloaded update. This Raid sends groups of three players into an underground tunnel to solve a series of puzzles while surviving waves of enemies. It's a mostly linear experience with a few tricky parts along the way. In this guide, we'll show you how to complete the Atomgrad Raid in Modern Warfare II.
First code puzzle
As soon as you start, make your way through the linear path ahead, while taking out enemies silently. If you're spotted, you'll have to deal with an all-out assault, so try your best not to be seen. Head straight and to the right and you'll come to a room with a terminal that has Russian letters on it, a set of TVs, a keypad, and a red button that opens a door.

This is one of the trickiest parts of the Raid, but it's straightforward once you know what to do. Open the door, have one player go inside the little room, and then make sure two of your three players are interacting with the TV feed. Scroll through the feed until you reach a screen that looks like the one below, featuring a projector and a set of Russian letters and numbers.

Gaming

Ubisoft and more offer ways to play purchased Google Stadia games elsewhere

The protagonist of Assassin's Creed: Valhalla shouting in battle and wielding two axes.

Google recently announced that it plans to shutter its cloud gaming service Stadia in early 2023, leaving players who used it as one of their primary platforms in an awkward situation. Google already promised to refund people for their Google Stadia hardware and software purchases, but people are still losing access to games they enjoyed and save files they possibly dumped hours into. Thankfully, some developers are working on ways to help Stadia players.
The most notable studio to help Stadia players is Ubisoft, which was Google's earliest partner for the technology via an Assassin's Creed Odyssey demo. "While Stadia will shut down on January 18, 2023, we're happy to share that we're working to bring the games you own on Stadia to PC through Ubisoft Connect," Ubisoft tweeted. "We'll have more to share regarding specific details, as well as the impact for Ubisoft+ subscribers, at a later date." Thankfully, the Stadia versions of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Far Cry 6, Immortals Fenyx Rising, Tom Clancy’s The Division 2, and Watch Dogs: Legion support cross-progression, so players won't lose their save files.
https://twitter.com/UbisoftSupport/status/1575922767593078793
Ubisoft isn't the only developer to help. Developer Muse Games is giving Embr Steam codes to those who played its comedic co-op firefighting game on Stadia if they email the developer with screenshots of Embr in their Stadia library. Meanwhile, IO Interactive confirmed that it is "looking into ways for you to continue your Hitman experience on other platforms," as the World of Assassination trilogy was available on Google Stadia.
There's still the matter of the five Google Stadia exclusives: Gylt, Hello Engineer, Outcasters, Pac-Man Mega Tunnel Battle, and PixelJunk Raiders. So far, only one of those games seems like it will be saved. PixelJunk Raiders developer Q-Games said in a blog post that "we hope to find a way to continue to share the vibrant worlds of Planet Tantal in the future, and we’re open to discussing opportunities to find the right publishing partner to make it happen.. Tequila Works, tinyBuild, Splash Damage, and Bandai Namco Entertainment did not respond to requests for comment from Digital Trends.
While the shutdown of Google Stadia is disappointing for players like myself who enjoy cloud gaming, at least players will be get refunds, and in some cases get the game for a new platform.

Entertainment

Disney+ to add R-rated Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan on July 22

Deadpool crosses his arms as he's about to jump out of the back of an airplane.

Disney+ announced Deadpool, Deadpool 2, and Logan will all stream on Disney+ in the U.S. starting July 22. This marks another shift for the streaming service as it slowly allows more R-rated and TV-MA content. Because of the violence and graphic nature, Disney reminds subscribers to revisit their parental control settings to curate their viewing experience.

The move comes at the same time as San Diego Comic-Con, where Marvel Studios will return for the first time in three years. Marvel President Kevin Feige will host a mega-panel in Hall H at 5 p.m. PT on Saturday, July 23. In years past, Marvel has used this panel to announce and showcase important projects like The Avengers. Many insiders speculate that Feige will give updates and share footage on upcoming MCU projects such as She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and Blade.