Halo

[MacGuffin]

Halo Movie Officially Halted
Source: WingNut Films

After Universal Pictures and 20th Century Fox backed out of co-financing the Halo movie, it was reported that prep work would continue at Jackson's Weta studios in New Zealand. But now, Jackson and Microsoft's WingNut Films has released the following statement saying that production has halted:

As was previously confirmed, we deeply regret that both Universal and Fox did not choose to move forward with financing the Halo film under the original terms of the agreement. At this time Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, along with their partner, Microsoft, have mutually agreed to postpone making a feature film based on the Halo video game universe until we can fulfill the promise we made to millions of Halo fans throughout the world that we would settle for no less than bringing a first class film to the big screen. We are fully supportive of Director Neill Blomkamp's vision of the film. Neill is a tremendously gifted filmmaker and his preliminary work on Halo is truly awe-inspiring. While it will undoubtedly take a little longer for Halo to reach the big screen, we are confident that the final feature film will be well worth the wait.

The script, originally written by Alex Garland and rewritten by D.B. Weiss, was to have gotten another rewrite by A History of Violence scribe Josh Olson. The movie was previously targeted for a summer 2008 release.

[Chest Rockwell]

'Halo' Won't Shine

Although Microsoft's Wingnut Films and director Peter Jackson's Weta studios had said that they would continue pre-production work on Halo, a movie based on the video game, after Universal and 20th Century Fox backed out of co-financing it, Jackson and Microsoft announced today (Tuesday) that they had changed their minds and were shutting down the film -- at least temporarily. In a statement, they said that they had agreed to wait until backing was in place that would enable them to "fulfill the promise we made to millions of Halo fans throughout the world that we would settle for no less than bringing a first class film to the big screen." They nevertheless held out hope that the film would eventually be made. "While it will undoubtedly take a little longer for Halo to reach the big screen, we are confident that the final feature film will be well worth the wait," they said.

[MacGuffin]

Halo Declared Dead
Director says movie is not happening.

Filmmaker Neill Blomkamp had been slated to direct Fox-Universal's feature film version of the videogame sensation Halo but the project infamously fell apart last year. Still, there had been rumblings that Halo could still fight its way onto the big screen. It seems, however, that even Blomkamp has given up hope for the Halo movie.

"The film is entirely dead. In the configuration it was in. Whatever happens with that movie, assuming that movie gets made, will be a totally different configuration," Blomkamp informed Creativity-Online.com. "It's not so much me as the entire vessel sank. Basically, it was a combination of; there were two studios involved that weren't getting along in the process of making it, Universal and Fox. That kind of stuff happens, it's a fragile industry. So the film collapsed at the end of last year, and it's been dead, ever since then. I'll be curious to see what happens."

Blomkamp made a trilogy of live-action Halo short films to help promote the release of the Halo 3 game but they were not, contrary to fans' hopes, meant to rekindle interest in the movie. "There was not even one percent of my mind in doing those short pieces to try and resurrect the film. And I think maybe that's because I'm closer to the film, I know how hard it fell, and I know that doing things like that was not how you're going to get it back on its feet," Blomkamp explained.

But Blomkamp didn't shut the door on Halo entirely, saying, "As I'm getting older one of the things I've realized most about this industry is never say never. That's the first thing. Right now, I can't see myself doing that film. But I'm not going to say that I'm not going to do it. So in the present moment, right now, I could take it or leave it. It doesn't matter to me anymore. There's too much interesting shit out there. The film has the capacity, if things line up correctly, to be, I think, really cool. But it ended up collapsing, and things happen for a reason."

[MacGuffin]

Steven Spielberg Hot For 'Halo: Fall Of Reach' Script From 'G.I Joe' Writer Stuart Beattie
Source: MTV

Rumors are ugly, vicious beasts. They raise our hopes with wild speculation, hopes which are all too frequently dashed beneath the cold, harsh light of reality. Still, a brother can dream, right? Remember when, a couple weeks back, I started frothing at the mouth over a spec script that "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" writer Stuart Beattie had written for "Halo: Fall of Reach"? Well there have been some developments, it seems.

For those who don't know, writing something like a script on "spec" means that you're doing it on your own time and with no certainty of actually selling the thing. In Beattie's case, he's a dedicated gamer who sees a lot of potential in the "Halo" franchise. Hollywood is rife with gamers these days, but few are higher-profile than "Boom Blox" producer and blockbuster originator Steven Spielberg. As this rumored luck should have it, Spielberg read Beattie's script and was "blown away" by it.

"Halo" was previously in the hands of Peter Jackson, who was going to produce the video game adaptation with newcomer Neill Blomkamp at the helm. Despite Blomkamp's months of prep work, "Halo" fell apart for a variety of reasons. Not that anyone should be complaining, as the loss of that project pushed Blomkamp and Jackson into next week's surefire summer favorite, "District 9."

The rumor comes to us via IESB, who cite an unnamed source. Spielberg and Beattie are both repped by Creative Artists Agency, so there's already an easy connection. The site reportedly triple-checked the information with "studio executives" and "close ties to CAA," so the info certainly seems legit. Especially since Beattie and Spielberg appear to be kindred spirits on the interactive entertainment front.

All I'm saying is that this had better be accurate. As a lover of the blockbuster in all of its terrible glory, Spielberg is a bit of an icon to me. It was enough to know that he was dipping his hands into gaming via a partnership with Electronic Arts, the collaboration that gave us "Boom Blox." This "Halo" thing though... wow. Let's just hope he zips through "Harvey" quickly enough that he'll be free to direct it. That's a "Halo" movie I want to see.

[MacGuffin]

MS Gives Halo Movie Update
Microsoft addresses the Spielberg rumor.
by IGN Staff

Microsoft has tossed a bucket of cold water on gamers and fanboys who were excited by this past weekend's news that Oscar winner Steven Spielberg was interested in producing the long-awaited feature film version of Halo.

In a statement to Kotaku, Microsoft said of the Spielberg rumor, "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 later added that it had "nothing further to share with respect to plans regarding a Halo movie." Of course, that's exactly what the company would and should say on the record if a filmmaker such as Spielberg was in the midst of making a deal for the movie.

It must be noted that Spielberg was reportedly taken with the Halo: The Fall of Reach spec script that Stuart Beattie had penned, something done independent of Microsoft.

[MacGuffin]

'Halo' Movie Could Happen with DreamWorks -- Steven Spielberg to Direct?
By Monika Bartyzel, Cinematical

To be, or not to be, that is the question.

Perhaps Shakespeare isn't the most likely person to quote when talking about the popular video game series 'Halo', but the sentiment sure fits here. For years, the billion-dollar video game phenomenon has flirted with the idea of a big-budgeted Hollywood movie. 'District 9' helmer Neil Blomkamp was supposed to direct at one point, with Peter Jackson producing, but that incarnation was halted. No matter how hard they tried, studios like Fox and Universal (with help and guidance from Microsoft) just couldn't piece together the right product. And while the games continue to thrive -- with the latest pulling in $200 million on its first day of sales -- the possible big-screen adaptation has become a big money-suck.

Now the long-struggling feature adaptation might be finding new life, but it's not with Fox and Universal. Instead, as previously rumored, DreamWorks is eager to grab the rights and shine a green light on a project that's been years in the making.

According to Vulture, DreamWorks is looking to use the novelizations of the game -- what Vulture calls "the literary equivalent of Purina PuppyChow" -- to get started, thereby avoiding some legal issues surrounding the game's previous adaptation efforts. It's been a long road of potential thorns.

Five years ago, the idea first came to life with Alex Garland getting a million dollars to pen a script when no studio was signed to the film. The script was shopped to studios, and most studios -- including DreamWorks -- passed. But then Fox and Universal decided to partner up on the project -- a plan that was doomed from the start. The pricey Peter Jackson came on as producer, Neil Blomkamp was tapped to direct (before 'District 9' hit), and then money became too much of a problem to ignore, with Microsoft and Jackson already grabbing big percentages of the film's gross before it was even made. No one wanted to back down and ease the price tag, lawsuits descended and the project was dead.

If dead, why is DreamWorks being tricky with its source material? Well, Universal lost millions in the end, and the thought is: If DW doesn't use the books, the other studio might seek some sort of reparations for their lost costs. But this is where something else comes into play: No names are yet attached to the plan, and the studio also has to tread carefully with Microsoft, who is quite protective of their game -- they don't want a crappy movie hurting the franchise's future. And this is where Steven Spielberg comes in.

Could the icon possibly direct the film? Having the man behind 'Indiana Jonest and 'Jaws'' should certainly ease any worries Microsoft might have. While it might seem like a stretch when you think about the many crappy video game adaptations out there, the bones of the project should at least put it on par with 'Hook,' 'Jurassic Park' or 'War of the Worlds.' Plus, from what we've been hearing, after he's done with War Horse, Spielberg will be looking to take on a big sci-fi project. And if it's his name as director that will get this thing moving, there's a chance we'll see a Spielberg-helmed Halo movie hitting theaters by 2013.

[quigliest]

What is Jurassic park doing in the same bracket as War of the Worlds?

Get it out of that bracket!