Kevin Spacey’s involvement with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare has grabbed headlines, and now Sledgehammer Games has spoken out on his role within the game.
Speaking with TrustedReviews, the developer of the upcoming CoD release has revealed how the role of Jonathan Irons, the villainous head of the private army Atlas, was written with the House of Cards and American Beauty star in mind.
Despite Call of Duty – Activision’s annual cash cow – seemingly boasting the budget to attract any A-list start the development team desires, Sledgehammers’ Director of Product Development, Aaron Halon, has claimed the team were surprise when Spacey, their primary target, agreed to come on board.
“Usually on games we are used to getting our B or C character, but to be able to get Kevin Spacey who has been in mind since the beginning has been an awesome experience and really helpful to the whole narrative of the game,” Halon said speaking exclusively with TrustedReviews recently.
He added: “We were really fortunate. It was something early on that Glenn [Schofield, Sledgehammer GM] and the creative guys on the team wanted Kevin Spacey to be Jonathan Irons.”
With Spacey having been the team’s first choice to play Irons, Halon has suggested that Sledgehammer now hopes the high-profile actor can help the game pair action with an impactful storyline.
“We’re really excited to be working for Kevin Spacey and one of the cornerstones of the game for us has been that narrative and that emotional impact,” he told us.
“Being able to have someone that has the calibre of talent as Kevin Spacey be a part of our project really fits into what our goals are.
“We set a high bar for ourselves and he helps elevate the rest of the actors and the staff on the project.”
He added: “Kevin is someone we felt was really right for the character and we really respect the work that he has done. He has the right weight and he is the person who we wrote this character with him in mind.”
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is set for release on November 4, with the title to hit both current and past-gen consoles.
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