DreamWorks Reviving Adaptation of Microsoft's 'Halo' Series?« FirstShowing.net

After being on hold for years, Microsoft said this past April that a big screen adaptation of their huge video game franchiseHalowould happenwhen the time is right. After the most recent installment in the game series,Halo: Reach, grossed $200 million,VulturereportsDreamWorksthinks there's no better time to take another stab at bringing Master Chief into theaters. However, since the project had already been deep in development years ago at Fox and Universal there's plenty of legal red tape to sift through. But DreamWorks' solution to that issue will have the studio usingnovelizations of the gameas source material.

To make a long story short, the reason behind the books being used as source material rises from a concern that Fox and Universal may demand a return of the wasted money they spent developing the property based on the video game. From an original script by Alex Garland to producing responsibilities taken over by Peter Jackson who would mentor then unestablished filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (District 9), the adaptation ofHalohas been through the cleaners before its eventual halt but perhaps DreamWorks can make it happen. I guess thoserumors of Spielberg's involvementfrom last year may not have been so fanciful after all. But of now no screenwriter has been brought in to script the adaptation.

As for thatHalo: The Fall of Reachscriptthat writer Stuart Beattie sent to Microsoft last year, apparently the adaptation of thenovel of the same name(which he wrote during the 2007 writer's strike) was done completely on spec simply because he's such a fan of the story. The script was sent to Microsoft and Beattie would relish the opportunity to work on the series. He says,"My long-term goal is to get three Halo movies {based on the three novelizations} made. It’s not something I can accomplish tomorrow. But if I can help, I am glad to do it."Perhaps he'll get his chance if DreamWorks can make this project finally come together.

However, Microsoft may not be so easy-going when it comes to taking Halo to the big screen. Vulture's source says,"“It’s agigantic waste of time, because {Microsoft} doesn’t want anything to happen in any other media that couldscrew up a multi-billion dollar franchise. Somebody has to be in control of a movie; it’s a director’s medium. But they’re completely averse to that. Because if Steven Spielberg fucks it up, what’s your recourse? So the rule is: ‘First, do no harm.’” Sounds like an uphill battle, but all I know is the kick-ass, live-action commercials thatcomearoundwhen a new game gets released always make me dream of an amazingHaloflick. Stay tuned as this story develops.

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