Alan Ritchson Replaces Momoa in Helldivers Movie, Now Due June 2028
Sony has officially cast Alan Ritchson as the lead in its Helldivers movie and pushed the release back seven months. The film now opens in theaters on June 9, 2028, instead of November 10, 2027. Ritchson takes over from Jason Momoa, who left the project in June. Anyone waiting on the adaptation of PlayStation's co-op shooter now has a longer wait and a different star.
The cast and the date
Ritchson is best known as the lead of Prime Video's Reacher. Momoa, the Aquaman and A Minecraft Movie actor, was the original pick. Sony hasn't said why he left, and it hasn't named any other cast members yet.
The new date moves the film into summer, traditionally the biggest box office season. Sony hasn't explained the delay. Replacing a lead actor mid-development is a plausible reason, but that is inference, not confirmation.
Justin Lin, who directed several Fast & Furious films, is still in the director's chair. Gary Dauberman, the writer behind the It films and the 2025 Until Dawn adaptation, wrote the first script. Per The Hollywood Reporter, Bad Boys for Life writer Chris Bremner wrote the most recent draft. Dauberman has other game-adjacent work in the pipeline, including a film of The Medium.
The tone question
The game is a satire. Players play over-the-top soldiers of a fascist-flavored "Super Earth," fighting alien bugs and robots in a deliberate send-up of military sci-fi. Lin has said he isn't a gamer. He doesn't plan to stick closely to the game's atmosphere and wants more emotional, character-driven relationships.
That could produce a decent action movie. It could also lose what made the game stand out. Pairing a Fast & Furious director with a Bad Boys writer points toward the first, but no plot details exist yet.
Why Sony is betting on it
Sony announced the project at CES 2025, after Helldivers 2 became a surprise hit. The game sold more than 12 million copies on PS5 and PC in its first four months, according to Yahoo. It's still getting updates, including a Warhammer 40K crossover in August.
Sony says the film will open in cinemas worldwide, but it hasn't published region-specific dates for the US, UK or elsewhere. With a premiere more than a year and a half away, expect trailers and further casting news to come later.
