It looks like maybe - just maybe - all hope isn't lost for a big screen version of Halo.
According to movie site Latin Review, a new script for a movie based on Halo prequel book Fall of Reach written by Stuart Beattie (Pirates of the Caribbean) has got Hollywood all excited.
Apparently the script's got movie bods so hyped up that artist Kasra Farahani (Spider-Man, Hancock) has even created concept art for the film's eventual pitch to Microsoft.
Fall of Reach, in case you're not nerdy enough to have read it (cough), details the events leading up to the first Halo game, and the creation of the Spartan II super-soldier program.
Of course the last Halo movie - the one with Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp on board - is now completely dead thanks to a pay dispute between studios Fox and Universal.
But according to Latin review this refresh interest in movie land could see the Master Chief flick finally be made. "There are some big time professionals in Hollywood who are also Halo fans that want to see the movie made," it says.
Putting on our big hat of cynicism for a moment, we thought the last Halo project went down the pan because of a studio money dispute - not a rubbish script. How will this new scribe do anything different to stop the board rooms squabbling?
They sure as hell better get better concept artists if this actually does start up again - that thing looks like a ten year old painted it.
I presumed that the picture was a mock-up made by "Latino Reviews" and not a concept sketch otherwise like you say it looks like it's by a 10 year old learning to use MS Paint!
I'm sorry guys, but if Halo had the potential to be a good film, it would have been in production already. It's a bit too nerdy (a bit like StarTrek) but without the TV programme to give it some depth and potential humour that the rest of us may understand. It is bound to be expensive to make because it will require lots of special effects and the Hero wears a helmet. Judge Dredd film, anyone? Some stories are made for games and Halo is one of them. I just can't see how it would work as a 2-3 hour film.
I'm sorry guys, but if Halo had the potential to be a good film, it would have been in production already. It's a bit too nerdy (a bit like StarTrek) but without the TV programme to give it some depth and potential humour that the rest of us may understand. It is bound to be expensive to make because it will require lots of special effects and the Hero wears a helmet. Judge Dredd film, anyone? Some stories are made for games and Halo is one of them. I just can't see how it would work as a 2-3 hour film.
The whole training sequence on Reach will remind me too much of that film 'Soldier' with Kurt Russell.........I don't think I could handle that, not again
I'm sorry guys, but if Halo had the potential to be a good film, it would have been in production already. It's a bit too nerdy (a bit like StarTrek) but without the TV programme to give it some depth and potential humour that the rest of us may understand. It is bound to be expensive to make because it will require lots of special effects and the Hero wears a helmet. Judge Dredd film, anyone? Some stories are made for games and Halo is one of them. I just can't see how it would work as a 2-3 hour film.
Have you read Fall Of Reach? No.
Good point. But how many people have read Fall of Reach? Not that many, I would imagine.
EDIT: To clarify my point, it took many years to make the Lord of the Rings books into movies. And a lot of people read those books.
And the animated version doesn't count as it was unfinished, though I actually wish they had finished it because it was a favourite of mine for many years.
I'm sorry guys, but if Halo had the potential to be a good film, it would have been in production already. It's a bit too nerdy (a bit like StarTrek) but without the TV programme to give it some depth and potential humour that the rest of us may understand. It is bound to be expensive to make because it will require lots of special effects and the Hero wears a helmet. Judge Dredd film, anyone? Some stories are made for games and Halo is one of them. I just can't see how it would work as a 2-3 hour film.
Have you read Fall Of Reach? No.
Good point. But how many people have read Fall of Reach? Not that many, I would imagine.
True... But it is a good tale
If it tied in with the next game, which may well be based on the ODST's experiences on Reach, it might end up having enough marketing push to get it into the mainstream. I mean, every London bus had a "Believe" advert on it for H3.
Sorry but you guys are all mental with a capital M.
Halo is exactly the kind of game that could translate into a great movie if handled correctly.
Jebus, if they can make a big screen action movie about Prince of Persia then you better Believe that Master Chief will be gracing the big screen and turning a AAA game into a AAA movie.
Why are they making a halo movie, it wasn't even a good game
true, but you know they'll make a trilogy of tat if theirs money to be made. it'll probably be the same film but with prettier graphics/actors each time it gets spawned.
Sorry but you guys are all mental with a capital M.
Halo is exactly the kind of game that could translate into a great movie if handled correctly.
Jebus, if they can make a big screen action movie about Prince of Persia then you better Believe that Master Chief will be gracing the big screen and turning a AAA game into a AAA movie.
But how do you make a compelling character out of somebody who's face you don't see? It works as a game because you are Master chief. And by the sounds of it, he isn't even a character in the book. I am puzzled. And what about those who have not read the book? The film will be utterly confusing, especially if it is anything like the games script. StarWars worked because of the brilliant characters and simple storylines; dark vs light, etc. What will be the catch in a Halo film? I'm sure fanboys will lap up the sight of an Elite getting sticky-bombed, but for the rest of us, won't it be a bit 'meh'?
Truth be told only 2 of the 6 Star Wars films worked. Star Wars and Empire, all the rest were just rehashed crap. People saying Halo doesn't have a big enough fan base to support a film are just stupid. Star Wars had NO fan base in 77, neither did Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Titanic or Dude Wheres My Car ;^). If done well it could work and the book they are making it from, which I have not read, sounds more interesting than the predictable and weak stories the games are based on. Oh and a ten year old could not have painted that as they don't understand perspective all that well.
Truth be told only 2 of the 6 Star Wars films worked. Star Wars and Empire, all the rest were just rehashed crap. People saying Halo doesn't have a big enough fan base to support a film are just stupid. Star Wars had NO fan base in 77, neither did Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Titanic or Dude Wheres My Car ;^). If done well it could work and the book they are making it from, which I have not read, sounds more interesting than the predictable and weak stories the games are based on. Oh and a ten year old could not have painted that as they don't understand perspective all that well.
You're right about it not mattering if the film is known or has a fanbase. Just thinking about some of the most respected sci-fi movies made that have been smashes at the box office such as Alien, Terminator and Predator (which apparently was just a p**s take script thought up after the making of Rocky IV..."we'll have to get Rocky to fight an Alien next time!!", they had no back stories and were huge successes.
So, if anything, the fact that Halo is a hugely popular and recognised IP will surely only add to it being a success and if the film script is also right then they're almost guaranteed plenty of the green stuff rolling in.
Sorry but you guys are all mental with a capital M.
Halo is exactly the kind of game that could translate into a great movie if handled correctly.
Jebus, if they can make a big screen action movie about Prince of Persia then you better Believe that Master Chief will be gracing the big screen and turning a AAA game into a AAA movie.
But how do you make a compelling character out of somebody who's face you don't see? It works as a game because you are Master chief. And by the sounds of it, he isn't even a character in the book. I am puzzled. And what about those who have not read the book? The film will be utterly confusing, especially if it is anything like the games script. StarWars worked because of the brilliant characters and simple storylines; dark vs light, etc. What will be the catch in a Halo film? I'm sure fanboys will lap up the sight of an Elite getting sticky-bombed, but for the rest of us, won't it be a bit 'meh'?
Its basically the good guys V the bad guys, with a few twists set in Space.
As for the 'Chief, well its not like he's silent and dosent speak, sure you wont see his face but thats kind of the point, leave a bit of mystery there.
The only catch would be that it is an EPIC story, simple as that, the fate of mankind rests on his shoulders. Brilliant.
Of course I am a huge Halo fan so no doubt my judegement is slightly clouded but with the amount of shoite Hollywood has been churning out over the years, Halo is already a better proposal that 50% of what they already put out.
If it's true to the book, you will see John's face. It follows his life from his abduction as a child, through his training, into the attack on Reach. His face is described in the book, and he has quite a few verbal exchanges with other characters, and engages in missions against human rebels.
The majority of the book is his training, leading up to the big ruck at the end. It's unlikely to be 90 minutes of Covenant fighting if it's true to the book.
A straight adaptation of Fall of Reach could be a great laugh, given a suitably epic and butt-numbingly infeasible running time, but if I was Lord and Ruler of adaptation land, I'd shred the original novel to bits to make a great film out of it.
I'd basically chop off the first half with all of the recruitment, training and early action scenes, and start the film from shortly after the beginning of the actual Battle of Reach, as portrayed in the book.
A hell of a lot of the sideplots and non-Master Chief/Captain Keyes scenes would get binned, apart from a few essential ones, and the backstory of MC's origins would have to be shown in short flashbacks throughout the first two-thirds of the film.
That way, you'd get a hopefully interesting juxtaposition between this faceless Darth-Vader-but-good killing machine, and the true character of the little kid who was abducted away at an early age from his parents and any chances of a normal existence, underneath.
The ending would have to stay perfectly faithful, of course, as it leads directly into the first game, which is what the majority of fans are going to be familiar with.
Also, stuff would explode all of the time. In slow motion.
Sod the nay-sayers, this has the potential to be awesome. The Halo shorts prove that i think. As long as it's handled well that is. I was gutted when it got canned the first time so any hope for the movie to be resurrected is great news. As soon as Killzone gets a movie adaption I suppose Voodoo and his ilk will be raving over that instead eh?
Sorry to say I'm very cynical about this. Every game-based movie I've ever seen has been properly naff - e.g. Resident Evil and Doom - and I can't see this being any different. They'd probs end up with Keanu or Vin Diesel as the chief and the Brutes would be voiced by Eddie Murphy. Pah!
I'm a Halo fan and I've read the Fall of Reach but I have to agree with Mark240473 on this one and say that I'm not optimistic.
FoR is the most cliche part of the entire series (it reminds me of Kurt Russell's 'Soldier' - not good) and it's all just military machismo. We've seen it all before. It doesn't even have a Halo in it.
I would really like to see a Halo movie made, just not this one.
There's a Halo in it at the very end, would make for a great visual climax to the film.
The main problem with adapting Fall of Reach would be that if the first film didn't suck balls, there would no doubt be much clamouring for a second one, and if they did do a second one, the most likely follow-up would be an adaptation of the story from the first game.
After reading the second book in the series, though, the one based on the first game, I can only pray they don't waste everybody's time and money by even trying. It was a terrible book...
The way people are describing the book, it sounds a little like Starship Troopers.
Yeah, the overall story is very similar to Starship Troopers (humans train as soldiers, aliens attack, we plan to fight back), though the tone completely different. It's not a bad book, just not original.
Maybe I'm just a cynical old young man but I've never been able to bring myself to read a book based on a video game. The only thing vaguely similar was one of the Aliens books and I just thought "this is terribly written. Gimme an Aliens comic anyday."
I kinda feel that if I read a Halo book my glasses would become larger, my nose bigger, and the work "geek" would suddenly appear on my forehead.
Maybe I'm missing out on something good though. Can't be a bad thing if a game encourages kids to read - not many games I can think of do.
Well, most books based on videogames aren't going to be hailed as literary classics at any point in the near future, but if you enjoyed the stories of games like Mass Effect, Warcraft and Halo, to name a few, then you could do a lot worse than shelling out a few quid for the slim paperback spin-offs to add a little more to the story.
Oh, and I wouldn't worry about suddenly being branded a "geek" for reading those books. Seeing as you're already reading and writing posts on a videogaming forum, it's not like a couple of game-related books are going to do any more significant damage.
Oh, and I wouldn't worry about suddenly being branded a "geek" for reading those books. Seeing as you're already reading and writing posts on a videogaming forum, it's not like a couple of game-related books are going to do any more significant damage.
Um, yeah, now you put it like that I think you may have a point.
I suppose Voodoo and his ilk will be raving over that instead eh?
My fingers are crossed.
and his ilk? what ilk would that be? see if you can post a comment without being a fanboy for once. tosser
Oops, think you've dropped your handbag there, love. I admit I'm a Halo fanboy though
And by your ilk, well... see, I kinda meant tossers... Didn't realise I was in the same crowd as you. feel a little dirty now to be honest.
Ah, fanboy- thrown around so easily and so randomly by people who can't think of anythink else to say. (Wierd as I own/have owned most of the consoles available, bar the Wii and PS3. I 'll probably get one or the other at some point in time.
Copyright 2006 - 2009 Future Publishing Limited, Beauford Court, 30 Monmouth Street, Bath, UK BA1 2BW England and Wales company registration number 2008885
, they had no back stories and were huge successes. 
Um, yeah, now you put it like that I think you may have a point.
