[UPDATE: Microsoft has declared (publicly at least) that Halo is still on hold. See bottom of the post for details.]
Back in October of 2008, we talked about Halo gamers anticipating a movie made based on their favorite game.
We also noted that Stuart Beattie wrote a spec script for Halo because he was frustrated by the lack of progress on the project. (A spec script is a kind of pro bono task that someone writes but hasn’t been hired to do it. A speculative type job)
Beattie (G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra) wrote the script as a character driven story based on a 6-year old boy who is kidnapped and trained by the USNC to become a Spartan Warrior. It’s a prequel and based on the 2001 novel, Halo: The Fall of Reach.
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I’ve read that book and it’s an awesome read.
So even though Beattie put together the script, no one has been really biting. Studios have been leery of dropping money on a franchise that looks like it has promise but might not pan out.
Now, the good news, exclusively from IESB, is that Steven Spielberg is in negotiations to produce the video game-based project.
Spielberg happens to be a huge gaming fan and has recently found himself stuck in the 15th level of BioShock.
Robert at IESB added that Spielberg has a great relationship with the owner of the film rights, Microsoft. Not to mention he’s buddies with Bill Gates.
Halo is a video game by Bungie and published by Microsoft. There have been three versions of the game, five novels, two graphic novels and various spin-off games and other products.
To me, this is completely awesome news. But I must temper everyone’s enthusiasm. Even though everything seems like puzzle pieces that will all fit together perfectly, Spielberg is in negotiations. This isn’t a given… yet.
If all goes well, then we benefit totally. This is great news…
UPDATE: …Or is it? Video game website Kotaku got in touch with Microsoft recently, and the company that Gates built confirmed that Halo is still on hold. Here’s the quote:
We’re glad there’s still a lot of enthusiasm in the entertainment industry surrounding the idea of a Halo movie. That said, the Halo feature film remains on hold as we focus on projects like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach.
Microsoft wouldn’t elaborate any more than that, so maybe they are trying to bring on a big name producer like Spielberg to get the ball rolling, maybe not. Time will tell for certain.
Source: IESB, Images: Latino Review, HaloTheMovie.org
Update source: Kotaku
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36 Comments
By The Way: With a new installment in the game franchise coming up I think they either would want to ride on the wave of it’s succes with a movie, or not distribute it instantly if it fails ( the game )! Just a guess, no fact.
I’m not sure if this has come out before but I heard some juicy rumors on Halo the other day from a pretty reliable source…
Keifer Sutherland was going to play Master Chief but his contract with FOX made that an impossibility as FOX wanted a stake in the profits.
Also I’ve heard that the script is done and the film is designed for a sequel. The sequel is written for the Arbiters point of view. Similar to Halo 2.
At this point the biggest stumbling block is finding the perfect actor to play Master Chief…
They shouldn’t have an actor. They should make the Chief CGI. If they have to use a real actor, at least don’t show his face, because that would ruin his whole character.
Um, have any of you guys been reading about this lately? You might want to know something that i found out in last month’s GAME magazine news section:
“lord of the rings director Peter Jackson has confirmed that his Halo game project is no longer in developement. “it sort of collapsed when the movie didn’t end up happening, from a movie maker’s point of view, the 360 is the stage where they work their magic in the same way the do with movies and books”
Now no offence to Jackson, but who cares?! it’s all very well being all philosophical about “the 360 world’s a stage” idea, but we’re talking about a frickin’ feature length, big screen grunt-killing fest for god sake!! You can’t complain about the story not working because the hardcore fans don’t even need a good story, all they want is the idea that their favourite game in the universe is going to be a film and the thought alone would be enough to wet themselves in excitement!
Oh, I forgot to add this, but last I heard they were going to cast Denzel Washington(?!) as the ‘chief and hopefully, even though Jackson is out, Steven might still be in and make it a half decent film (if it ever gets finished).
…and adding to what The Critic said earlier about game-films being utter rubbish, never, never, ever, ever watch the Street Fighter movie with Kylie minouge in it, not only was it voted for as the worst movie of all time but it will almost certainly make your eyes bleed. lol
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