As many know, CliffyB is one of the “fathers” of Gears of War during his time at Epic Games. Following his and a few other key departures, Epic Games would eventually sell the IP to Microsoft, which has since entrusted it with The Coalition. Therefore, CliffyB may not have any direct impact on the direction of the movie, but many would agree with his fan castings as well.

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First and foremost, CliffyB makes clear his support of Dave Bautista (perhaps better known by his WWE stage name Batista) in the upcoming movie. Batista has wanted to play Marcus Fenix in a Gears of War movie for a long time, and CliffyB supports that casting. Many fans want to see it as well, and given how many times this has been discussed in the past, skipping Batista for the role of Marcus Fenix would be a mistake in the eyes of many. Barring Batista as Marcus Fenix, CliffyB also thinks Karl Urban could be a good actor for the character.

When it comes to Dom Santiago, who has perhaps the most heartbreaking tale in Gears of War, CliffyB keeps it simple: a Latino actor who has a slight accent to really deliver on Dom’s performance in-game (as played by Carlos Ferro). Some also asked who CliffyB would cast Ryan Reynolds as in the movie, with the creator highlighting Baird as the perfect character for the beloved actor. That’s a pretty easy casting to see as well.

The last thing CliffyB states about the Gears of War movie is slightly tongue-in-cheek, basically saying to keep Chris Pratt away from the movie. As many know, Chris Pratt playing Mario in the upcoming film has been contentious since reveal, and many have joked about Chris Pratt playing other video game characters. Indeed, while Pratt has a fine range when it comes to acting and most of the reaction to his role is perhaps overblown, Gears of War really isn’t the universe for him.

A Gears of War film adaptation is in the works at Netflix.

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