More on the Halo Movie

[bapenguin]

A day has passed since Microsoft's stunt (http://www.evilavatar.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2654) to get a studio for the Halo movie. Apparantly New Line and Dreamworks declined the script, while there apparantly is SOME interest from the remaining studios of Fox, Paramount and Warnerbros. Microsoft and Bungie have some STRICT guidelines for the movie though, and it is apparantly turning people off. (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2005/06/07/news_6127059.html?part=rss&tag=gs_news&subj=6127059)Whatever studio picks up the project would also have to relinquish "strict control of development" to Halo developer Bungie Studios, who have written a "bible" which any director and producer would have to follow. Variety's sources say the purpose of the "bible" is "to make sure any changes to the script don't alter the universe established in the first two Halo games that will continue in future sequels," apparently further confirming Halo 3 is in the works.

Even though this turns movie studios off, this is great news. It means if a movie IS made based off the script, it's going to remain very faithful to the story and feel of the games.

[Goronmon]

Even though this turns movie studios off, this is great news. It means if a movie IS made based off the script, it's going to remain very faithful to the story and feel of the games.
I completely agree...though, the key phrase being "if a movie is made."

[riposte101]

I'm making the Halo movie in my basement right now!

[Adam Blue]

HAHAHA. I'm glad to see this.

[motor]

If I worked at a studio and someone tried to pull this, I think I'd post the whole damn script on the net.

[bapenguin]

If I worked at a studio and someone tried to pull this, I think I'd post the whole damn script on the net.

And then be sued over and over again.

[carneconcarne]

great, a hollywood movie written by game developers.

video game movies are terrible enough as is, when people who are familiar with how to make movies are writing and directing them.

Here's hoping Bungie can infuse the raw intensity and emotion of Halo 2 cutscenes into this big budget hollywood movie.

[if76]

After seeing directors' visions of what Super Mario and Street Fighter should be in movie form, I appreciate the game's creators demanding the game stick closely to the universe. At least this might force people involved to actually play the games.

[motor]

And then be sued over and over again.

Isn't that the whole reason for ain't it cool news :)

[Goronmon]

great, a hollywood movie written by game developers.
This isn't about Bungie writing the script.

This is about Bungie making sure key elements of the story aren't butchered. (The Doom movie anyone?)

They want to make the studios don't try to pull dumb crap like making MC a robot.

[emperordahc]

Hurray for Bungie!

[Cupelix]

Here's hoping Bungie can infuse the raw intensity and emotion of Halo 2 cutscenes into this big budget hollywood movie.
That is the most amusing description of the Halo 2 cutscenes I've ever read. Such emotion displayed by a main character incapable of facial expressions and aliens who are...oh right... also incapable of facial expressions - squinting does not count.

[Reanimated]

I'd trust Bungie with putting together a good Halo script before I'd trust some Hollywood monkies.

Why would I want the people who made Tomb Raider the movie to have any say in the development of a Halo script.

Anyway, I think it would be cool if someone with a big 3D animation studio won this script bid. I think a CG Halo movie could kick ass.

[Goronmon]

Anyway, I think it would be cool if someone with a big 3D animation studio won this script bid. I think a CG Halo movie could kick ass.
I'll pass on the extended custscene version of the game ;)

[gravey]

Even though this turns movie studios off, this is great news. It means if a movie IS made based off the script, it's going to remain very faithful to the story and feel of the games.
So Master Chief won't be fighting hell demons on Mars?

Still, it's an interesting idea--actually basing the movie on the game's story, backstory and characters. Best of luck to them.

[Reanimated]

I'll pass on the extended custscene version of the game ;)



Yes, because a live action movie of a guy in a green plastic suit would kick ass.

[Arphahat]

I always read "Master Chief" as "Master Chef" and am confused why a FPS has a baker as the lead character.

[sTubbs]

I am hoping that one of the things Bungie and MS are fighting for is that Master Chief MUST remain MASKED. In my opinion, unmasking MC would totally ruin the rest of the movie, no matter how good it is.

[Maskatron]

So why the hell doesn't Microsoft just produce that damn thing themselves? They can afford it, and that way they won't have to worry about anyone messing with it. Just get a major studio to distribute it, like Lucas does with Star Wars.

[Goronmon]

Yes, because a live action movie of a guy in a green plastic suit would kick ass.
If the movie follows the story of the first book, then there won't be a green suit for the first half.

Besides, Darth Vader was pretty popular and his suit was only black ;)

[bapenguin]

So why the hell doesn't Microsoft just produce that damn thing themselves? They can afford it, and that way they won't have to worry about anyone messing with it. Just get a major studio to distribute it, like Lucas does with Star Wars.

Because Fox distributes Star Wars. And because there's more to just "distributing" a movie then sending it to theaters. There are per screen contracts with theaters and such, and would be a huge undertaking for just one film.

[Racknahm]

If the movie follows the story of the first book, then there won't be a green suit for the first half.

Besides, Darth Vader was pretty popular and his suit was only black ;)

Well, green is the new black. I wonder if Nightmare Armor would be allowed to work with the studios in making the Spartan II armor.

[KNOTE]

I am hoping that one of the things Bungie and MS are fighting for is that Master Chief MUST remain MASKED. In my opinion, unmasking MC would totally ruin the rest of the movie, no matter how good it is.

Not if you unmasked him, and he was Clint Howard.

[Reanimated]

A. I seriously doubt the movie would have anything to do with John before he became SPARTAN 118 for a couple of reasons - one being that we've never seen him without his helmet in the games, and the other being that it would make a boring movie. Just like Episode 1 was boring.

B. They might as well do it all CG since they'll have to create most of the world using CGI anyway. Might as well just have the characters be CG as well. Hell Cortana will have to be CG anyway. Plus, they could make a CG version of the chief that would be photorealistic. Just look at the clone troopers in Ep 3 - ALL CG.

[Mason]

Page 1 of the Halo Movie Bible:

Thou shalt not precache assets before rendering a scene. For the popping of resolution shalt smite upon thy eye with the wrath and fury of unfulfilled pretension, that the faults of a mediocre game shalt remain hidden from thine sight.

Ooh, page 2!

All who live know that the advanced aliens of thine universe construct temples and vessels solely from undetailed brushes, with no face less than a cubit in length, and no corners joining in angles other than ninety and forty-five degrees. So it is written.

OMG, page 3!

For the console is an unsturdy platform for shootings in the first-person, thou shalt not provide content other than rooms of foes to be smitten one after another. Look to the works of your forefathers in the land of id for the secrets of repeating the same encounters until the ends of time.

4 bitches.

Thine plots shalt not be burdened by human things! All who see know that cyborgs, AIs, and foolish-appearing plant monsters are essential for the highest forms of drama. Bit parts, exposition, and one-liners are all the worth of the human beast. When in doubt, tosseth in something trying to become God.

Yawn.

For development costs are a burden upon thine pate, the divine acts of copying and the pasting are essential to the construction of the world. The earth was made in 7 days, after all, so thine level shalt be shat out in a couple of hours. As thy environs lack detail or meaningful gameplay beyond the smiting of foes, what difference does it make?

This is getting old.

While the highest of care must be taken at the beginnings of thy works, diverging sharply into boring battles with bulbous creatures is surely thine ultimate path. Learn not from thine mistakes! Thy followers shall keep the faith based on rosy memories of thy earlier works. Thy most vocal fans never trouble themselves with thine campaign for singular players, so endings shalt be as crappy as thou chooseth without retribution finding thy pate.

Now damn, I wonder why those people who know about storytelling and cinematography don't want Bungie calling the shots?

[Goronmon]

A. I seriously doubt the movie would have anything to do with John before he became SPARTAN 118 for a couple of reasons - one being that we've never seen him without his helmet in the games, and the other being that it would make a boring movie. Just like Episode 1 was boring.

Oh come on, because Episode I was boring, no movie can ever develop a character from a young age now?

Episode I was boring because the movie sucked in general and because the whole story from beginning to end basically revolved around a kid.

[Last of the Red Hot Mamas]

Now damn, I wonder why those people who know about storytelling and cinematography don't want Bungie calling the shots?

There are people in Hollywood who know about storytelling?

[pdeupree]

Two words:

Wing Commander

[Goronmon]

Now damn, I wonder why those people who know about storytelling and cinematography don't want Bungie calling the shots?
I feel bad that you spent all that time coming up with such a lavish joke that was so terribly unfunny :(

[Mason]

I feel bad that you spent all that time coming up with such a lavish joke that was so terribly unfunny :(

5-6 minutes actually. Once you get going it is surprisingly easy, but I won't pretend like it was hard coming up with material.

[Mason]

There are people in Hollywood who know about storytelling?

You've never seen a good movie? Ever? Film has produced nothing but bad things?

[Goronmon]

5-6 minutes actually. Once youg get going it is surprisingly easy, but I won't pretend like it was hard coming up with material.
Its always easy when you can make up whatever you want ;)

[zangster]

Damn, I was looking forward to the love story some Hollywood director wanted to create between MC and some teenage girl Cortana who is a master hacker on Earth

[Goronmon]

You've never seen a good movie? Ever? Film has produced nothing but bad things?
Of course Hollywood has produced some good movies, but after Super Bros. Resident Evil 1, 2 and RE In Space (oops, I mean Doom), gamers faith in Hollywood to produce a decent movie based on a game is shaken a bit.

[Mason]

Its always easy when you can make up whatever you want ;)

Wow, you're actually still in denial. Medical science has things to learn from you, little buddy.

[Mason]

Of course Hollywood has produced some good movies, but after Super Bros. Resident Evil 1, 2 and RE In Space (oops, I mean Doom), gamers faith in Hollywood to produce a decent movie based on a game is shaken a bit.

There's a lot more bad game movies than that. But do you really think that there's such thing as a good game movie? I mean shit, bring in whatever creative talent you like, past or present, and there's absolutely zero ways to make a good Super Mario Bros. movie that is true to the core material. The core material is a bunch of easily-merchandisable one-line characters in a silly world. Who do you expect to take that seriously?

And DOOM and RE...what are you expecting here? Movies based on games based on horror movies. Playing ping-pong back and forth between media isn't really improving anything, it just clutters things up.

[netcraazzy]

The movie studios may not like it but I have a good feeling that if Bungie let them have free will over the story they would water it down and chop it up untill it fit nicely into some predefined formula that supposedly appeals to the masses but in reality just sucks ass.

[Goronmon]

Wow, you're actually still in denial. Medical science has things to learn from you, little buddy.
Yeah, you are right. I actually didn't have any fun playing either Halo 1 or 2 at all. Myself and the rest of the gamers who enjoyed these game are just stuck in some sort of mass delusion, so obviously apparent to the true gamers such as yourself ;)

[Reanimated]

Oh come on, because Episode I was boring, no movie can ever develop a character from a young age now?

Episode I was boring because the movie sucked in general and because the whole story from beginning to end basically revolved around a kid.




Ask yourself what the better movie story would be - Fall of Reach or First Strike.

Halo fans already know the basic backstory of Halo and people don't need to see 45 minutes of Robocop backstory of John NOT kicking ass. I think a much more compelling movie would be 2 hours of the Chief kicking in skulls.

[Goronmon]

There's a lot more bad game movies than that. But do you really think that there's such thing as a good game movie? I mean shit, bring in whatever creative talent you like, past or present, and there's absolutely zero ways to make a good Super Mario Bros. movie that is true to the core material. The core material is a bunch of easily-merchandisable one-line characters in a silly world. Who do you expect to take that seriously?

You have a point with Super Mario Bros. However, SMB has no real storyline. There is no real underlying plot to those games. However, Halo does have a deep storyline behind the games. One that I think would translate very well onto the big screen, as long as it is kept as true to form as possible.

And DOOM and RE...what are you expecting here? Movies based on games based on horror movies. Playing ping-pong back and forth between media isn't really improving anything, it just clutters things up.
What did I expect from a Doom movie? Oh...let's see...how about a movie where a lone soldier becomes trapped on Mars as its assaulted by demons from "Hell". That would be a start.

And to be honest, I didn't think the first RE was that bad. For some reason I just hated pretty much all of the characters, haha.

[Goronmon]

Ask yourself what the better movie story would be - Fall of Reach or First Strike.

Halo fans already know the basic backstory of Halo and people don't need to see 45 minutes of Robocop backstory of John NOT kicking ass. I think a much more compelling movie would be 2 hours of the Chief kicking in skulls.
I guess I just completely disagree with the direction I hope they take with the movie. 2 hours of MC beating the crap out of aliens is exactly what I don't want them to do.

[Deadend]

How about MS and Bungie just make the damn movie themselves?

They got the money, and they may have the ability to get the talent, would also be cool if they could get Pixar to work on it, as I am sure some of the people there would love to do a more mature movie.

[imagecreature]

Can anyone say Wing Commander The Movie.

Wasn't that Chris Roberts baby.

[Tia]

How about MS and Bungie just make the damn movie themselves?

They got the money, and they may have the ability to get the talent, would also be cool if they could get Pixar to work on it, as I am sure some of the people there would love to do a more mature movie.

Making movie is not a simple business, having the funds is not all you need. If you really insist, maybe ms can buy some studios and make them produce the movie. Look at sqaure sad attempt at making a movie. (I know there are probably lots of fans of Spirit Withing, but generally the movie was a flop, regardless if you like it or not.)

As for Pixar. I can pretty much promise you they won't be the least intrested in it. First of all Pixar does enjoy doing kids movies. Second thing, and it is almost a Pixar rule I guess, they do not try to immitate real life in their movies. So unless you want Incredibles meets Master Chief.... (and don't get me wrong, I love Pixar).

Besides.... Pixar is Steve Jobs. I am not sure how well it will sit with ms :-P

[Steve_Erhardt]

Can anyone say Wing Commander The Movie.

Wasn't that Chris Roberts baby.
Yeah, and that turned out to be pretty much a complete travesty, sadly. It's one of the oddly watchable flicks, though, that you'll stop channel surfing when you see it's on Sci-Fi.

But as a fan of the games, that movie was just hellishly twisted from the source material. I won't get into a bullet list of the things that were "wrong" with it, because it's been done to death years ago, but I'm sure everybody here knows what I'm talking about.

I'd hate like hell to see the same thing happen to Halo.

I'll vote for CG as well. Though as long as it doesn't go the way of Wing Commander, I'd be in line just as quick for live-action.

[Tia]

I am also against leaving him masked. You can relate emotionally to a talking mask. It doesn't work in movies. Heroes should have face for you to care about. I wish that in the game they would have also unmasked him. It would have made for much better emotional involvement in it.

[Goronmon]

I am also against leaving him masked. You can relate emotionally to a talking mask. It doesn't work in movies. Heroes should have face for you to care about. I wish that in the game they would have also unmasked him. It would have made for much better emotional involvement in it.
I agree that leaving the main hero masked for the entire movie would be a little strange.

I mean, even Darth Vader removed his mask at the end of Episode VI.

[Mason]

I guess I just completely disagree with the direction I hope they take with the movie. 2 hours of MC beating the crap out of aliens is exactly what I don't want them to do.

And thus we reach the heart of the problem.

If it is nothing but special effects porn, it won't be a good movie. All non-gamers will hate it, because no matter how stylized or clever it is, violence is boring and meaningless if you don't care about the characters.

Yet special effects porn is precisely what most if its fans want to see. They want to see on screen the "Halo in their head", where instead of clumsily hopping around and futzing with one's weapons, every fight is a choreographed spectacle of bad-assery. But providing a really good narrative reason for justifying the film's existence will take up most of the film's focus, by necessity. Just because nobody makes films where the protagonist fights the same enemies over and over in repetitive buildings.

Think about, say, Saving Private Ryan. Decent war film, generally worked. How much of the time did they spend fighting? If you saw a Halo movie with a similar pace, would you think it was disappointing crap? Only a few really intense fights, none too long, surrounded by lots of preparation and talking. It sure wouldn't feel like Halo to most people. I could foresee a little complaining there.

[Goronmon]

Think about, say, Saving Private Ryan. Decent war film, generally worked. How much of the time did they spend fighting? If you saw a Halo movie with a similar pace, would you think it was disappointing crap? Only a few really intense fights, none too long, surrounded by lots of preparation and talking. It sure wouldn't feel like Halo to most people. I could foresee a little complaining there.
Well, I guess I am looking at it from the viewpoint that I hope the movie is about the story the game is based on more than just the game itself. And I would be willing to bet that there are plenty of fans of the game who feel the same way.

[Zanzibar]

Not if you unmasked him, and he was Clint Howard.

Thought I was gonna die laughing.

[Kentor]

The movie studios may not like it but I have a good feeling that if Bungie let them have free will over the story they would water it down and chop it up untill it fit nicely into some predefined formula that supposedly appeals to the masses but in reality just sucks ass.
What do you think Halo's story is then? Nobel and Man Booker prize material?

[Karmakaze]

Page 1 of the Halo Movie Bible:

Funny stuff. And really, can anyone deny this is all true? Halo bored the bejesus outta me after the first level or so.

[Zeal]

70 million without director or actors? That means the final film would come in at about 100 million, which is considered rather low budget nowadays.

Not good.

But considering the man who wrote 28 Days Later did the script, you can expect something very realistic and well-written. Think Eric Nylund style.

[Reanimated]

100 million isn't low budget, you dipshit. The Resident Evil movies were made for 30 mil... THAT'S low budget.

Revenge of the Sith was made for 115:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/business


"low budget"... fucking hilarious.

[Rommel]

Ask yourself what the better movie story would be - Fall of Reach or First Strike.


The fall of Reach, provided it is shown like the Godfather II was in theaters. That is, flashbacks to the past instead of simply telling the story in chronological order. I hate when they play the Godfather movies by timeline, by the way.

[Grimgrock]

Keeping heroes masked vs. Not. What about Samus? She is masked through the entire game and onlly at the end does she take off the helmet.

Personally, I don't think the Halo story as told by the video game would be any different than Aliens. Which has been copied too many times to mention.

Of course, I have never read the books. I understand that they are pretty interesting.

All opinions, of course.

[Tricky Thumb]

Wait? What's so special about the story in Halo?

"We will allow you to make Tomb Raider, but you must follow this "Lara Croft Bible" we have written, for our story is so grand that you could not fathom something even close to what we have oozed from our pores!"

[Morrolan]

Good for Bungie. I really hope that this sort of thing becomes standard and accepted. The changes made to DOOM are absolutely embaressing. Why even call it Doom?

[mister_slim]

I'd trust Bungie with putting together a good Halo script before I'd trust some Hollywood monkies.
I agree. There's enough of an audience to reduce the need for broadening the script, and Bungie has enough skills to produce an acceptable story. The helmet should make looplines really easy to add. And if the PS2 can render Toy Story in realtime a couple 360s should make production cheap.
You have a point with Super Mario Bros. However, SMB has no real storyline. There is no real underlying plot to those games.
Actually, there's enough of a story to hang a fun movie on. Hollywood tends to take some material too seriously. Pixar could do a great Mario movie, if they wanted.

Wasn't Nintendo talking about opening their own movie division? Nintendo vs. Pixar... That would be awesome.

[Deadend]

Good for Bungie. I really hope that this sort of thing becomes standard and accepted. The changes made to DOOM are absolutely embaressing. Why even call it Doom?

To uhhh make more money perhaps?

[Zulu107]

Yes, I'm sick of directors butchering comic or video game scripts. This needs to happen and my proof is a moron named Uwe Boll. You look up "Scifi/Fantasy Killer" and you'll see his pic. He's behind "House of Dead" and "Alone in the Dark". He is also working on "Blood Rayne" and "Far Cry". Peter Jackson should run a class on doing movies with class and imagination.

[Kentor]

So anyone here actually consider that ever so tiny possibility the whole damn script is a piece of crap? I'm sure that having random Master Chief's delivering ultimatums didn't go over well either...

http://www.defamer.com/hollywood/movies/index.php#halo-buzz-not-so-stellar-106686

[Derwin]

Theyre going to make Master Chief a hermaphrodite alien

[MosBen]

I think some people are missing the point that in all likelihood this "follow the Halo bible" stuff is more in line with the "If you make this you can't do what you did to Doom" line of thinking than, "We're so smart that we made the perfect script which you can make no changes to" line of thinking. They just don't want to cash in their property only to hand it over to people that will make the final product completely unlike their games. They want the movie(s) to tie into the games and not create gigantic discrepancies in the way their universe works. Seems fair to me, but then none of us really know much info...

[Racknahm]

100 million isn't low budget, you dipshit. The Resident Evil movies were made for 30 mil... THAT'S low budget.

Revenge of the Sith was made for 115:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0121766/business


"low budget"... fucking hilarious.

It all depends on how much money the movie is gonna rake in. I would guess the average budget for a movie would be like 10 mil. But it all depends on what the movie is, who is directing it, and who are starring in it. If you want an example of low budget movies, just look at anything made by Troma Studios. To me, low budget is pretty much an indie movie.

[Goronmon]

Actually, there's enough of a story to hang a fun movie on. Hollywood tends to take some material too seriously. Pixar could do a great Mario movie, if they wanted.
Well, my point was just that with Halo, you already have "universe" that has been described that the movie could easily follow, in terms of time period, backstory, etc. With games like Mario all you have to start out with is "Princess gets kidnapped and Mario must save her."

[Tia]

Keeping heroes masked vs. Not. What about Samus? She is masked through the entire game and onlly at the end does she take off the helmet.



It is still a video game. You play the hero, you are invested in keeping her/him alive. In a movie you watch someone, you need emotion involvment for it to work and for you to be glued to the screen cheering. That being said, I hold my opinion for Matroid just the same. A little more "off helmet" time will make for a much more engaging story and game.

Thats of course not counting the 8 bit games. Since I couldn't get myself to care about any of the blocky heroes they had. The games were fun, but no emotions envolved really.

[Beelzebud]

Too bad id didn't think of this before they let some no-name take Doom and turn it into something not on Mars, not with demons, and not with hell.

[jim_rock]

Wierd to say this: Proud of Microsoft I Am.

[splatstick]

...Peter Jackson should run a class on doing movies with class and imagination.

I'm just going to go out on a limb and say the only Peter Jackson movies you've seen were LOTR...
Dead Alive, anyone?

[snow2theizzo]

You guys should'nt be thinking of how the movie will roll on. What you should be thinking about is who is rolling the movie on. I mean Hollywood is going to choose acters like Arnold, Keanu, and other bad acters. But who would really scare me is if they choose MJ as MC. he would moulest the grunts.

[Spartan]

A. I seriously doubt the movie would have anything to do with John before he became SPARTAN 118 for a couple of reasons - one being that we've never seen him without his helmet in the games, and the other being that it would make a boring movie. Just like Episode 1 was boring.

B. They might as well do it all CG since they'll have to create most of the world using CGI anyway. Might as well just have the characters be CG as well. Hell Cortana will have to be CG anyway. Plus, they could make a CG version of the chief that would be photorealistic. Just look at the clone troopers in Ep 3 - ALL CG.

umm its 117 and its a good idea to make them all CG. I only hope it will turn out well and all will be happy.