Posted in: Movies, streaming, TV | Tagged: call of duty, Chad Michael Collins, Edge of Space

Call of Duty: Collins on TV/Film Possibilities, "Edge of Space" Short

Chad Michael Collins (Sniper: The Final Stand) on whether Call of Duty would work on television or film, his short, Edge of Space, and more.

Chad Michael Collins has accomplished a lot over his 20 years in Hollywood, working in several genres, from horror, drama, action, and video games. Few can ever dream of being the torchbearer of a franchise like Sony's Sniper with its 11th entry, The Last Stand, the actor's eighth entry reprising his role as Brandon Beckett. The films date back to the 1993 original starring Tom Berenger. On top of carrying the Sniper films, he's also appeared on several TV shows like Bones, Castle, NCIS, CSI, and the Activision video game franchise Call of Duty as Alex Keller in four of the titles.

While promoting Sniper: The Last Stand, Collins spoke to Bleeding Cool about how his time in Call of Duty was a dream given his background in gaming, and his latest short in the NASA-inspired Edge of Space, on the shortlist of 97th Academy Awards in the Live Action Short Film category. The short is set in 1961, during the height of the US-Soviet space race where an ambitious USAF test pilot Glen Ford (Collins) is recruited by NASA for a daring suborbital mission in an X-15 hypersonic rocket-powered aircraft with astronomical implications.

Chad Michael Collins on If He Thinks Call of Duty Will Be Adapted to TV or Films & Work with Director Jean de Meuron on Short, 'Edge of Space'

Bleeding Cool: Has there been any chatter about adapting Call of Duty for the big screen or perhaps as a TV series?

I tell you what, 'Call of Duty' is a massive machine, and despite playing a lead in 'Modern Warfare 2019,' then appearing again in 'Modern Warfare 3' and being a part of the whole war zone universe, I am but a small cog [laughs]. I'm a big fan now, and I love playing Alex, Echo 31, and being a gamer my whole life; it's been an absolute dream role to be a part of that storied franchise and to be "canon," as the kids say.

I don't know. I hear the grumblings sometimes and fans are out there like, "Why don't you just cast the actors who look like the characters in the real 'Call of Duty' movie?" I'm like, "If it's going to be a real 'Call of Duty' movie, it's going to be a $250 million Michael Bay-kind of extravaganza. I suppose with that price tag, you need to have your Chris Evans, Pratt, and Hemsworth. You need to have all the "Chris's," so I'm not sure they would have used a Chad in there, but I would love it if they did because there's nothing I'd love better than to be part of a 'Call of Duty' movie or TV series.

How did you get involved with the Edge of Space short, and what was it like filming that?

'Edge of Space' was a visionary script and short film that was put together by a director named Jean de Meuron, and he had me in mind for the lead role, which is an Air Force test pilot [Glen Ford], literally trying to push to the edge of space, go out into the stratosphere in 1961 in the famous X-15 Air Force jet. It's a charming and inspirational script, cleaned up in festivals. We're on the Oscars shortlist right now, waiting to see if it gets over the hump and becomes one of the final five or eight that are nominated for an Academy Award this year. It's an incredible and inspirational story.

NASA, Air Force, families, and pilots who lost their lives pushing this technology forward. It was so cool to be a part of it. They put their heart and soul, and it turned out so well. I was blessed to be a part of it, and we've all pleasantly surprised to see how successful and popular it's been, and hopefully, we can go all the way.

Is there any genre of work you feel like you haven't had the opportunity to flex your acting chops in? Or there's something, maybe an IP, that you hope to get into?

I'm a comic book and gaming nerd, if you can't already tell. I'm also big into retro gaming, so anything along the lines of. I've been into Marvel Comics more than anything else, but anything related to comics is so wicked, cool, good fun, and speaks to my childhood. If they ever bring back a G.I. Joe movie or animated series, I love a bite of that apple as well, and the other one is I've never really got a chance to do too much of are Westerns.

I'm such a fan of Westerns, and at some point, in my career to be able to do a fun Western movie. I dabbled with a little bit here and there, but not in the way of the movies I grew up with, whether it's the Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood movies, or 'Tombstone' [1993] itself and movies like that. Who knows? Hopefully, I'll stick around long enough that I can finally get a wax mustache and do a little twirl.

Sniper: The Last Stand, which also stars Ryan Robbins, Sharon Taylor, Manuel Rodriguez-Saenz, Noxolo Dlamini, Sizo Mahlangu, Rob van Vuuren, and Arnold Vosloo, is available on digital.

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