Modern Warfare 4 Devs Took Inspiration from Sicario, John Wick

Ever wondered what goes into crafting the gritty, morally complex stories of Call of Duty? With Modern Warfare 4 just a week away, we got a peek behind the curtain thanks to narrative director Jeff Negus. In a chat with GamesRadar+, Negus opened up about the cinematic influences shaping the game's tone, and one film in particular keeps him on his toes.

"Sicario is one that I'm always checking against," Negus says. "I go, one, would Sicario do this? And two, how would they, if they did?" That's because Denis Villeneuve's thriller is "such a present, visceral, grounded experience, one where the morality is gray and where you're trying to figure out like, man, am I doing the right thing? Let alone, is there the right thing here?" If you've seen Sicario, you know exactly what he means – it's a film that lives in the murky space between right and wrong, following an FBI task force's efforts to take down a Mexican cartel leader.

Modern Warfare 4's story takes you to South Korea, defending against encroaching forces from North Korea. Different setting, but the same potential for exploring geopolitical agendas, government interference, and the impossible question of what the best solution is in a terrible situation. It's a rich backdrop for the kind of gray morality Negus is aiming for.

But Sicario isn't the only film in the mix. Negus also name-drops Black Hawk Down and Zero Dark Thirty as "more military" pictures that Infinity Ward is drawing on. And yes, John Wick has "some obvious presence in this one too." The real challenge? Making all those references feel cohesive. "The biggest trick wasn't necessarily to find a reference; it was to try to make those reference references feel cohesive, like they're all part of the same story," Negus explains.

You'll be able to judge the results for yourself when Modern Warfare 4 launches on October 23. That gives you a good amount of time to binge-watch all the features mentioned – consider it homework. And if you're wondering about the future, Activision has confirmed that the next Call of Duty will be another brand new sub-franchise, similar to what Vanguard did five years ago.

So, what do you think? Does a Sicario-inspired Call of Duty sound like your kind of gritty? Will you be picking up Modern Warfare 4 next week? Let us know in the comments!