Oscar-nominated actor Jake Gyllenhaal has reportedly agreed to produce and star in a movie based on the hit game, which was released in March 2016 and went on to break the record for first-week sales of a new game franchise with a $330 million global haul. There’s currently no writer attached to the adaptation and no timetable for it go into production, but Gyllenhaal’s involvement will likely give the project quite a bit of momentum in this early stage of development.
Gyllenhaal’s attachment to The Division was initially reported by Variety, and the report also indicates that Ubisoft is expected to add at least one more high-profile actor to the project before bringing it to studios.
The Division will be the third big-screen adaptation of a Ubisoft game currently in the works with an A-list star. Assassin’s Creed hits theaters later this year with Michael Fassbender in the lead role, and Tom Hardy will star in the upcoming Splinter Cell movie based on the game franchise of the same name.
Launched on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC earlier this year, The Division is set in the aftermath of a deadly pandemic that has turned New York City into an urban wasteland, with many of the city’s basic services failing and access to food and water dwindling. Players take the role of a special agent in the fictional Strategic Homeland Division of the title, and are tasked with assisting in efforts to restore city services, deal with criminal elements, and investigate the source of the epidemic.
