Netflix's Gears of War Movie Will Tell the Origin Story of Delta Squad

Netflix's Gears of War film finally has a concrete premise — it's an origin story for Delta Squad, the ragtag crew of soldiers at the center of the franchise. The detail comes from an Entertainment Weekly feature on Xbox's broader adaptation plans, which also includes an animated Gears of War series.

According to the official description provided to EW, the film follows Delta Squad as they wage a desperate war for survival against the Locust, a race of subterranean creatures bent on destroying humanity. Director David Leitch — known for John Wick and The Fall Guy — is attached to helm the project. Xbox EVP and chief content officer Matt Booty framed the story's emotional core simply: "The game really is about the bonds between teams. It's about brotherhood at its core. When you go visit the studio, their tagline is 'Never Fight Alone.' So when you think about that for a dramatic narrative, it's a pretty good starting point."

The timeline is still fuzzy. If this is truly the formation of Delta Squad, the film could slot in between the upcoming prequel game Gears of War: E-Day and the original Gears of War — which would potentially leave Marcus Fenix out entirely, since he was in prison before joining Delta in the first game. Alternatively, it could be a more direct adaptation of Gears 1. The description is vague enough that both readings are plausible. A Gears of War film has been stuck in various stages of development since 2007, cycling through different directors and studios before Netflix secured the IP rights.

Earlier this year, Leitch said the project was making real progress with a new script draft in active development, and confirmed Netflix was "100% behind it." No release date has been announced yet, but between Leitch's comments and Xbox now publicly discussing the film's premise, it's clearly moving forward rather than gathering dust.