Netflix Nabs ‘The Division’ With Jake Gyllenhaal And Jessica Chastain

Announced during publisher Ubisoft’s E3 press conference on Monday, Netflix has acquired the film adaptation of online shooter “The Division” with Jake Gyllenhaal and Jessica Chastain.

No production or release schedules are available for the high-profile video game film at this time, but Netflix’s involvement should get things moving quickly. Ubisoft first announced the film in June 2016, three months after the release of the first game, with Gyllenhaal attached to star. In August of that year, it was revealed that Chastain was also cast.

In January 2017, Stephen Gaghan (“Syriana”) signed on to direct the film, a high-profile get for a video game adaptation. Gaghan departed the project by April 2018, however, and David Leitch (“Deadpool 2”) has since signed on as director. Ubisoft also announced yesterday that Rafe Judkins, former “Survivor” contestant turned screenwriter, will be penning the script. Judkins’s other credits include “Agents of SHIELD,” “Uncharted,” and Amazon’s upcoming series “Wheel of Time,” for which he is also serving as showrunner.

“The Division” is a sub-series in Ubisoft’s lucrative and long-running Tom Clancy franchise. The first game, an online open-world shooter, is set in New York City following a smallpox epidemic spread via paper money on Black Friday. Players control a member of the Division, a sleeper cell tasked by the U.S. government with maintaining peace in the quarantined city. A sequel, “The Division 2,” was released in March.

Gyllenhaal most recently starred in the Netflix original horror thriller “Velvet Buzzsaw” from his “Nightcrawler” director Dan Gilroy. He will next star alongside Tom Holland as the Marvel character, Mysterio, in “Spider-Man: Far From Home.” Chastain can currently be seen in “Dark Phoenix” as the villainous alien shapeshifter, Vuk. She will next face off against Pennywise in “It: Chapter 2” as the adult version of Beverly Marsh, played as a teen by Sophia Lillis in the original hit Stephen King adaptation.