Reacher star Alan Ritchson is in talks to take the lead role in Sony’s upcoming Helldivers movie, according to sources.
The film adaptation of PlayStation’s popular multiplayer fragfest (not to mention one of their few successes in the live service world) has been in development since 2025, with Fast and Furious director Justin Lin attached.
Aquaman star Jason Momoa signed on for the lead shortly after, but wound up leaving the project, supposedly this past June. The film currently has a firm release date set for November 2027.
Helldivers Would Go From One Aquaman to Another
Ritchson, who also once portrayed DC’s King of Atlantis on TV’s Smallville, has been playing Reacher‘s badass drifter for four seasons on Amazon Prime Video.
While that success has certainly brought Ritchson plenty of film roles, he’s yet to find a role in films that connect with audiences the same way Reacher does. He has frequently been in the discussion when it comes to who Warner Brothers will cast as Batman in James Gunn’s DCU, but so far nothing’s come of it.
Ritchson, who also once portrayed DC’s King of Atlantis on TV’s Smallville, has been playing Reacher‘s badass drifter for four seasons on Amazon Prime Video
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The original Helldivers was released for the Sony PlayStation 4 back in 2015 and was a pretty big hit. That being said, the franchise didn’t really reach the level of cultural relevance you need in order to get a movie adaptation until its sequel, Helldivers 2, launched in 2024.
The kinetic action, live-service aspects that actually work, and an absolutely bonkers setting and story propelled the property into the public consciousness. So far, over 22 million people have played the game, with 21,000 of them playing on Steam at any given moment.
PlayStation Productions Is On a Roll
Sony has been fairly successful at bringing their video game IPs to other mediums, under their PlayStation Productions label. Uncharted, starring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was released in 2023. Critical reviews weren’t stellar, but it made over $400 million worldwide. They’ve followed those up with Gran Turismo (directed by Neill Blomkamp of District 9), Until Dawn and, just this past weekend, Zach Cregger’s Resident Evil.
Things have gone pretty well on the TV side of things, too. The Last of Us was nominated for a bunch of Emmys and is slated to get a third season. Twisted Metal is surprisingly good. In fact, Twisted Metal starring Anthony Mackie, Stephanie Beatriz, and Samoa Joe, has no business being as good as it is.
Sony has also been focusing on developing their own new IPs, especially in the cute mascot arena.
- Released
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February 8, 2024
- ESRB
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Mature 17+ / Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Arrowhead Game Studios, Nixxes
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