Paramount Pictures is developing a live-action film set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, the bestselling video game from CD Projekt Red. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, known for his work on the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises, is attached to the project, with CD Projekt Red also producing. The announcement comes as the game’s sales exceed 40 million copies worldwide, while its expansion, Phantom Liberty, has surpassed 15 million copies sold. The film will bring audiences back to Night City, a futuristic metropolis where technology, corporate power and street violence shape everyday life.
Night City is as important to the game as the characters who inhabit it. Its towering buildings, crowded streets and bright advertisements exist alongside poverty, gang conflicts and corporations that wield enormous influence. People can replace parts of their bodies with advanced technology, but those changes do not guarantee them a better life. This contrast between technological progress and the struggles of ordinary people is central to the game’s identity, giving the film a distinctive world to explore.
Lorenzo di Bonaventura’s involvement brings experience with major Hollywood productions. His credits include the Transformers films and the G.I. Joe franchise. Earlier in his career, he was also a Warner Bros. executive involved in bringing The Matrix to the screen. That connection will interest science-fiction fans, although the creative team has yet to reveal how the film will approach Cyberpunk’s technology-heavy setting or what kind of story it intends to tell.
One key question is whether the film will follow the game’s central character, V. According to Deadline’s report, the adaptation will tell a new story set in the Cyberpunk universe rather than simply retelling the events of the game. It will also be separate from Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, the animated series that introduced viewers to another group of characters living in Night City. An original storyline would allow the filmmakers to explore a different corner of the city while giving newcomers an entry point into the franchise without requiring them to know the games.
The film enters development with a substantial audience already familiar with the property. Released in December 2020, Cyberpunk 2077 initially faced criticism over technical problems, particularly on older consoles. Continued updates and improvements helped the game build a much stronger reputation, and its sales have now surpassed 40 million copies. Released in 2023, Phantom Liberty expanded the game with a new espionage-focused story featuring Idris Elba as Solomon Reed. Its 15 million copies sold further demonstrate the franchise’s staying power.
The project also adds to Paramount Pictures’ interest in video game adaptations. The studio is preparing a live-action Street Fighter film and developing a movie based on Call of Duty, with Taylor Sheridan attached as a writer. These projects bring established gaming properties to cinema, but each will need to offer more than familiar names to reach audiences who have never played the original games.
The Cyberpunk 2077 film remains in development, with no director, cast or release date announced. There is also no confirmation that actors from the game, including Keanu Reeves, will appear in the adaptation. Those details are expected to become clearer as the project progresses.
The filmmakers have a setting capable of supporting stories that extend well beyond the game itself. Night City is a place where advanced technology exists alongside deep social divisions, and where the pursuit of power often comes at a personal cost. The live-action film has an opportunity to explore that world through new characters and a different story, bringing one of gaming’s most recognisable science-fiction settings to cinema audiences.