The long awaited Gears of War movie is in the works at Universal Studios

Microsoft has announced a partnership with Universal Studios to release a feature film based on the Gears of War sci-fi game franchise.

Microsoft revealed the movie plans as part of its Gears of War 4 live stream event. Rod Fergusson, studio head for Gears of War 4's developer The Coalition, stated that development of the movie is still in the early stages, with no director or screenwriter assigned yet. No release window has also been provided at this time. Unlike most video game-to-movie adaptations, Fergusson highlighted that Microsoft and Universal want the Gears film to work primarily as a great movie.

This is not the first time a Gears of War feature film has been announced. New Line Cinema bought the rights a few years ago, with Len Wiseman (of Underworld fame) assigned to direct. However, those plans never came to fruition.