Helldivers 2 developer will be involved in film adaptation, but not as much as you may have hoped

UPDATE 16/1/25: While Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt doesn't think the developer should be heavily involved in the upcoming Helldivers film adaptation, the studio's CEO Shams Jorjani does have one idea.

Writing on Discord, Jorjani quipped he wants as "many A-list actors as possible" to be part of the film, but there is a condition. He wants those actors to "get killed violently immediately".

So, will those deaths be thanks to rampaging giant space bugs, or the way I have many a time met my demise in Helldivers 2 - friendly fire? I guess we will have to wait and see who the team at Sony Productions and Sony Pictures find to fill the roles, and how they will ultimately fare.

Arrowhead CEO on actors for the Helldivers movie :)
byu/Chance-Juggernaut14 inHelldivers

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ORIGINAL 14/1/25: Sony is continuing its game to big (and small) screen push, last week announcing films based on both its Horizon and Helldivers series. Details were still fairly thin on the ground at this time, but now Arrowhead CCO Johan Pilestedt has confirmed one thing about the Helldivers 2 adaptation: the developer will be involved with the upcoming film, but in a somewhat limited capacity.

And, that's the way it should be, the exec says.

This little titbit comes from an exchange on social media platform X, which was spotted by IGN. When one fan asked whether or not the Helldivers 2 studio would be involved in the film's production to ensure the adaptation stays faithful to the source material, Pilestedt admitted he had been "dodging this question" since the announcement.

"The short answer is yes. The long answer is that we'll see," the CCO replied, before acknowledging the Helldivers 2 development team "are not Hollywood people", and therefore "don't know what it takes to make a movie".

Baring all this in mind, Pilestedt therefore said the studio won't have the final say on the film. And, in his opinion, nor should it really, which I guess makes sense.

It still hasn't been revealed who will be taking on the role of director for the Helldivers 2 film. In fact, other than word that a film is in the pipeline as part of a collaboration between Sony Productions and Sony Pictures, there is not much else concrete to say at the present time.

"I'm excited to announce we are working with Sony Pictures on developing a film adaptation of our amazingly popular PlayStation game, Helldivers 2," was all PlayStation's Asad Qizilbash said during its reveal at CES last week.

As well as Helldivers and Horizon, other Sony adaptations include the newly announced Ghost of Tsushima anime for Crunchyroll, which is slated for 2027.

Meanwhile, the second season of The Last of Us is due to air this April. This release window was announced last week, along with a trailer which teased two live-action reimaginings of The Last of Us Part 2's most impactful moments.