Alan Ritchson is in talks to take the lead role in Sony's Helldivers film, replacing Jason Momoa, according to a Deadline report relayed by Destructoid and GameSpot. Momoa left the production earlier this year, and the part had been open since.
Ritchson is best known as Jack Reacher, the former military police major he plays in Amazon Prime’s Reacher. Both outlets report that he is set to play one of the Helldivers, with the rest of the cast to be disclosed later. Deadline described the deal as still at the talks stage rather than closed.
Justin Lin remains attached to direct. Lin’s credits include work on the Fast & Furious and Star Trek franchises — Destructoid singles out Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift — and the first two episodes of the second season of True Detective. He has not previously worked on a video game adaptation.
The film is set for release in theatres on November 10, 2027. Destructoid notes that details remain scarce despite that date, and that Sony is producing alongside PlayStation Productions. Sony also published Helldivers 2, which GameSpot reports has sold more than 20 million copies since its 2024 release.
Arrowhead is not steering the adaptation
Developer Arrowhead Studios has kept its distance from the production. GameSpot notes that the studio has said it does not, and should not, have final say in how the movie turns out, and that chief executive Shams Jorjani has said he hopes the film violently kills off celebrities.
GameSpot also reports that Ritchson has said he is a fan of Activision’s Call of Duty franchise, and that he would be up for a role in the film being made from it.
Momoa, meanwhile, has other video game roles lined up. GameSpot reports that he appears as Blanka in October’s Street Fighter movie and is returning for the A Minecraft Movie sequel in 2027.
