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Halo Script Hawked To Studios
Gamespot has the story of Microsoft's crusade to sell the Halo movie script to a studio. They really went all out, apparently, with messengers dressed as Master Chief delivering the scripts to the major studios. From the article: "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."
I can't say that I'm a terribly large fan of either of those movies. I think this guy was overpaid just a little much. They could've lifted one of the internet from some fanfic site for a lot cheaper. I'm a little bit worried about how good of a script it is.
"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."
Amen to this though. I wish all movies based on games followed this fashion. It seems to me that a lot of game based movies that could be awesome end up being terrible because they don't follow the game closely. I'm 100% behind MS on this because it ensures that some asshat won't just add or invent new stuff to make the movie look cooler. Just imagine some studio adding a romance sub-plot to appeal to the 55-80 year old woman demographic.
Otherwise I kind of look foreward to a Halo movie. I'd also like to see a Metriod movie, and MGS movie since all of those games really have great potential. Make a good movie out of them and I will pay honor to it with my $7 movie ticket.
It better had be 'in the works' otherwise I for one will not be even considering an XBox360.
Uwe Bowl can get lost right now!
oxymoron of the day - Xbox gamer
Uwe Boll!
Uwe Boll!
Uwe Boll!
pooptruck
Sorry, I missed the bit where we're all under the assumption that Halo 3 might not be happening.
Linux, you magnificent bastard, I read the fucking manual!
For those curious, here's a picture of one of the the Master Chief messengers
Screw the movie studios. They screwed up The Matrix when they went from movie to video game. They screwed up Tomb Raider when they went video game to movie. They screwed up Starship Troopers when they went from book to movie. They can't seem to do anything right anymore so let Bungie and Microsoft do it. Worst case scenario, if it bombs you blame Bungie and Microsoft for being 'too strict.'
First: I wish everyone would stop putting bible in quotation marks and, in this case, capitalizing it. It is actually a technical term in this case and is not referring to any scriptures of a particular relgigion. Any writer that develops a TV series creates a bible. If the intent is for a series of movies, or any series where there will be multiple scripts written by different people, a bible is a must. It describes the characters involved, the relationships between the characters, the standing sets, and, if it's a tech script, there will also be a tech guide, or tech bible that explains exactly what the different pieces of equipment can do, what their abilities are, and what the limitations are. When my agent first got the "go-ahead" that I'd be pitching to ST:TNG, within 2-3 days there were 2 Trek bibles on my doorstep as well as a stack of paper that was full of summaries of all previous episodes. One bible was the regular writer's guide (often called the series bible), the other was Okuda and Sternbach's tech bible. Even before I pitched to them, they wanted to be sure I had all the rules about the characters and gadgets right.
So, that having been said, I agree. Having a bible is a good thing. It will keep the, "That didn't work like that in the game," problems to a minimum. On the other hand, if the bible was written by gaming people, it could cause problems for a good writer who knows film and finds him or herself restricted by rules that force awkward or limited character development or create situations that don't play well in a 2 hour movie.
On a more serious note, I wonder well this will fly in Hollywood. As much as there is money to be made, Hollywood types have their own massive egos and control issues. Being told, "Here's a script we want you to make, and a bible you have to adhere to while doing it" might not get the results they are interested in.
LotR and the Harry Potter movies have been successful even though they don't capture the true canon of the books. I think in the long run they' be better off breaking canon, but having a good movie. The flip side, is that MS has enough money to pay the production costs themselves. Get someone who is good, produce it yourself, and only use Hollywood for the distribution. That way you maintain total control throughoutand you can make sure your investment is wisely spent.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
I don't think you give that movie enough credit. I think you should really try and see the finer points of Starship Troopers and not dismiss it because it didn't turn out to be what you wanted it to be. It's subtle and overblown at the same time. It's a great action movie and a satire of humanity at the same time.
The movie studios have done good work making movies from books and comics (I will admit video games seem to be more miss than hit, but if I was 10 years younger I probably would have enjoyed Tomb Raider) and it's unfair to proclaim anything else they make will be crap just because they dropped the ball on a few films.
bungie.org is a fansite, bungie.net is the official site. Those links were just done sort of like fanfic.
This is the funniest thing I've read in a long time. My wife works in the feature film industry, and I can tell you that showing up at a studio dressed as a character and carrying a script is -not- what gets a script sold; it's what makes studios put you on an instant rejection list. Neither is showing up with a bible and saying "you can't violate this history when making the film" -- that just tells the studio the contracts have to get creative control away from you, lest you bog the whole thing down over the "accuracy" of the fiction.
If Microsoft really wants to see this thing made, they have the cash, and cash or publicity are the two possible ways to get a movie made these days. Generate a lot of publicity by deciding to go it alone, sign up the best production company that money can buy, and go nuts.
Oh, and I doubt the people who would watch a Halo movie are going to give a rat's arse about the backstory, any more than the people who watched resident evil. And hey, guess what -- if they do, it'll be the backstory OF THE MOVIE, not the game.
Okay, rant over. But it was a rant with a smile on my face, I promise. Hilarious!
..which you all should also be concerned with.
1. The voice actor for MasterChief in the games voices him.
2. The voice actor for Cortana voices her.
3. Two words, Sergeant Johnson.
Because of his armor, having one actor do MasterChief's movements and another his voice would work, ala Darth Vader.
Since Cortana would probably be computer generated, again, no issue.
And Sergeant Johnson rocks.
Thunderclone: ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE! ONE MAN ENTERS! TWO MEN LEAVE!
But Halo 2 was such a complete story, wrapping up all loose ends... how could they possible make another?
but it does help with creating a believable universe
Not really. Check the Matrix for a prime example. And note that good FX != believable.
Regarding LOTR, the actors were all relative unknowns at the time they were hired. All of them were good actors, yes (although Elijah Wood sadly still doesn't convince as Frodo - ho hum), but none of them were doing it for the money. In fact, none of the crew were doing it for the money at all. Watch the "making-of" bits on the extended DVDs and you'll see how personally committed they all were, and how much each group (actors and support, digital FX, model-makers, etc) really became a family. The sheer *closeness* of them all afterwards was unbelievable.
Personally I don't there's any other movie that could inspire that kind of commitment, or ever will again. The reason they all committed was bcos it *was* LOTR, not bcos they were being paid. LOTR was a one-off, and I can't see any here-today-gone-tomorrow computer game tie-in getting anywhere near. Certainly not just bcos some studio boss has splurged $10m for the rights.
Grab.
I think it did well at the box office, just that they had gone too far over budget. In my view it was quite a decent flick, and a successful satire.
i agree, smart chicks are hot.
the chicks in halo which for all of their intelligence not outrageously large chested and dont really wear skimpy outfits. if halo was made into a movie, i think this would be the first change hollywood would make.