Helldivers 2 is perhaps one of the most famous video games in modern history. A combination of satisfying gameplay, good development decisions by Arrowhead Game Studios, fantastic soundtrack by composer Wilbert Roget II, darkly hilarious worldbuilding set in a critical parody of a fascist society obsessed with appearing to be a democracy, and perhaps a bit of luck at the right time and place has propelled the game into global fame. All in spite of a bit of controversy to boot. Some of it may have been deserved and most of it may have not been deserved, but regardless, that controversy doesn’t change the fact that the game is just plain good. That and the resulting fame has almost certainly contributed to the ongoing efforts to make a Helldivers movie by Sony. And now, we have some developments on this front for all you Helldivers out there.
The Hollywood Reporter has just reported that Alan Ritchson (Smallville, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Reacher) is currently in talks to star in the upcoming Helldivers movie. If those talks succeed, then he will be replacing the previous star Jason Momoa, who stepped away from the project back in June 2026 due to “creative differences”.
This upcoming Helldivers movie still features Justin Lin (Better Luck Tomorrow, Fast & Furious, Star Trek Beyond) as the director. Gary Dauberman (Annabelle, It) is still the writer for that movie. We will report on any additions to the cast as they happen.
Helldivers Movie to Get Alan Ritchson as New Star?
To be honest, we may be just a biiit too…premature with this bit of news. Yes, Alan Ritchson is in talks with Sony to star in this upcoming Helldivers movie. However, that’s just it: it’s just talks for now. They’re discussing it, but nothing is set for now. The talks could break down and nothing would come of this bit of news. Still, it’s something to look forward in the near future for all of us Helldivers out there.
The only question here is: will Alan Ritchson be a good starring role here? Honestly, I have my doubts about it. Ritchson has starred in a number of action movies, but they’re almost all of the gritty and serious kind like Reacher (2022) and the recent War Machine (2026). Even the superhero roles he has played like Arthur Curry (aka. Aquaman) in Smallville (2005) and Hank Hall (aka. Hawk) in Titans (2018) are still pretty serious. The universe of Helldivers is very explicitly a satire. It makes fun of how ridiculous fascism is while also emphasizing that fascism is still very much evil. In many ways, it emulates the way Starship Troopers (1997) depicts fascism. In fact, Starship Troopers was one of the main inspirations for the universe of Helldivers because it was such a bitingly hilarious criticism of fascism.
Thus, I think an actor who can act comedically should be important for the starring role in this Helldivers movie. And given Ritchson’s track record playing completely dead serious characters, he may well not be the right person for the role. I could be wrong though. Maybe his dead serious acting could be used comedically. The Comically Serious trope is a thing in media, after all. That’s one way to take advantage of some dead serious acting. Now here’s hoping that Justin Lin goes this route for Ritchson, or else this could be a very long Helldivers movie, and not in the good way.
What do you all think? Are you excited to imagine Alan Ritchson playing John Helldiver fighting for freedom, managed democracy, and our way of life? Or do you too have doubts that he might be a dissident in disguise? Tell us your thoughts about liberty in the comments section below.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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