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.
