Xbox is preparing a live-action Sea of Thieves movie, adding Rare’s pirate sandbox to a growing list of Xbox-owned franchises being adapted for film and television.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the project is in development as part of Xbox’s wider push into Hollywood, following the commercial success of A Minecraft Movie and ongoing adaptation plans for franchises such as Gears of War and Call of Duty.
The Sea of Thieves film will be produced by Destin Daniel Cretton, known for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings and the upcoming Spider-Man: Brand New Day, through his production company Hisako. A director has not been announced yet, and there are currently no confirmed cast members or production dates.
Adapting Sea of Thieves is a different kind of challenge compared to more story-driven Xbox franchises. Rare’s multiplayer pirate game does have lore, events and recurring characters, but its strongest identity comes from player-created stories: sailing with a crew, hunting treasure, fighting skeletons, betraying alliances or simply causing chaos across the sea.
Xbox’s Matt Booty framed the film in those terms, saying the heart of Sea of Thieves is not a fixed protagonist or linear plot, but the relationship between players and their community. That suggests the movie will likely focus less on directly retelling the game and more on capturing its tone: cooperation, rivalry and unpredictable pirate adventure.
The project also shows how aggressively Xbox is now treating its franchises as entertainment brands beyond consoles and PC. Gears of War is already set up at Netflix, while Xbox is also developing more than a dozen adaptations across film and TV, according to Entertainment Weekly.
For now, the Sea of Thieves movie is still early in development. Xbox has not confirmed when filming will begin, who will direct it or when it might reach cinemas or streaming platforms.
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