Paramount to develop Cyberpunk 2077 film, lifting CD Projekt RED's shares

Oct 9 (Reuters) - Paramount Pictures is developing a live-action film set in the universe of CD Projekt RED's video game "Cyberpunk 2077" alongside producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura, entertainment outlet Deadline reported on Thursday, which sent the Polish game developer's shares 3% higher in early Friday trading.

"We're excited about Paramount as a future partner who shares our creative ambitions for the Cyberpunk franchise," Michal Nowakowski, joint-CEO of CD Projekt RED, said in a post on social media platform X late on Thursday. "We look forward to sharing more details at the appropriate time."

• CD Projekt RED told Reuters it had nothing to add beyond Nowakowski's post

• Paramount did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment

• Cyberpunk 2077 had sold 40 million copies as of July 3, with its "Phantom Liberty" expansion selling 15 million

• As of July 31, CD Projekt RED had 184 developers working on a sequel to the 2020 title, with no launch date announced yet

• Paramount's involvement should help sustain interest ahead of the next Cyberpunk instalment, Erste analyst Krzysztof Tkocz said

(Reporting by Rafal Nowak and Marta Maciag in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi-Prussak)