Jake Gyllenhaal reportedly reunites with Ubisoft for 'The Division' movie
Ubisoft is happy enough with the success of Tom Clancy's The Division to let its motion pictures group develop a big screen story, and Jake Gyllenhaal is reportedly attached to star in and produce it.
Gyllenhaal has a relationship with Ubi that goes back to the actor's leading role in 2010's Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. A critical failure that grossed a respectable -- if not bank-breaking -- $336 million worldwide, Gyllenhaal's producer role potentially allows him to influence more high-level creative decisions on The Division.
Keep in mind that none of this is officially confirmed, with Variety citing unnamed sources. The report also notes that a search is underway now for a writer. Mashable has reached out to Ubisoft for comment.
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The Division is an action game set in a chunk of near-future Manhattan sometime after a viral outbreak sent the city spiraling into lawlessness. The titular "black ops" arm of the U.S. government is a network of sleeper agents that gets activated when there's a need for skilled soldiers who can operate outside the law.
The game launched this past March, riding a wave of pre-release hype to immediate success. Fans of games like Destiny and Diablo flocked to The Division's loot-motivated action, though several post-release patch missteps have seen the game's popularity wane in recent weeks.
That's not to suggest it's "game over" for The Division. Developer Ubisoft Massive has extensive plans for add-on content and post-release support, and the studio continues to hear and respond to feedback from its sizable community.
Ubi has aggressively pursued opportunities in film and TV since establishing its motion pictures division in 2011, a year after Persia's release. Nickelodeon/Nicktoons series Rabbids Invasion is preparing to launch its third season this month, and a movie based on Assassin's Creed -- starring and produced by Michael Fassbender -- is scheduled to release in December.
Further out is Splinter Cell, another movie that ties into Clancy's espionage-focused fiction. Tom Hardy is said to be in position for a starring role in that one.
The news of a Division movie comes in the midst of larger concerns as Vivendi -- one-time parent of Activision Blizzard -- positions itself for a hostile takeover of Ubisoft.
The French media company has been acquiring stock in Ubi and Gameloft, a mobile developer and publisher co-founded by Ubi CEO Michel Guillemot. It now possesses a controlling interest in the latter, with news surfacing as recently as June 1 that Guillemot is likely to resign from his CEO post at Gameloft.
It's not clear how this business with Vivendi could influence Ubi's Hollywood push if the hostile takeover plays out (however it plays out).
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Adam Rosenberg is a Senior Games Reporter for Mashable, where he plays all the games. Every single one. From AAA blockbusters to indie darlings to mobile favorites and browser-based oddities, he consumes as much as he can, whenever he can.Adam brings more than a decade of experience working in the space to the Mashable Games team. He previously headed up all games coverage at Digital Trends, and prior to that was a long-time, full-time freelancer, writing for a diverse lineup of outlets that includes Rolling Stone, MTV, G4, Joystiq, IGN, Official Xbox Magazine, EGM, 1UP, UGO and others.Born and raised in the beautiful suburbs of New York, Adam has spent his life in and around the city. He's a New York University graduate with a double major in Journalism and Cinema Studios. He's also a certified audio engineer. Currently, Adam resides in Crown Heights with his dog and his partner's two cats. He's a lover of fine food, adorable animals, video games, all things geeky and shiny gadgets.
