Gearbox officials have confirmed in an aside to a press release that a film adaptation of Duke Nukem is currently in production. It’s not the first time the iconic franchise has been associated with it. The Hollywood Reporter already reported on a corresponding project last year. Only the confirmation was still missing at that time. And those responsible at Gearbox have now made up for it – even if we still have to wait for official details.
What is known about the film?
According to reports at the time, Legendary Entertainment is responsible for the project. The film studio most recently worked on Dune and was previously involved in the 2019 adaptation of Pokémon: Detective Pikachu. The Duke Nukem film adaptation is apparently produced by the Cobra Kai makers: Josh Heald, Hayden Schlossberg and Jon Hurwitz. There is no information about a director or an author at the moment. It is also unclear who should play the Duke.
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Adaptation was already planned
In fact, it’s not the first attempt to bring Duke Nukem to the big screen. Already in 2018 they wanted to make a film about the character. At that time they had even found an actor for the role in John Cena. In the end, however, the project failed. After adaptations of Sonic the Hedgehog, the current The Last of Us or the upcoming Super Mario Bros. film, Gearbox probably wants to get involved as well.
Borderlands movie coming too
Duke Nukem is not the only project at Gearbox. Borderlands will also be getting a movie soon. Only a few days ago, however, it was announced that there will be reshoots – under the direction of a new director. Tim Miller (known for Deadpool) handles the shooting. Several well-known Hollywood actors are involved in the Borderlands adaptation. The cast includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Black, Gina Gershon and Janina Gavankar, among others. There is no start date yet.
