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Microsoft First Person Shooters (Games) Media Movies

Halo Script Hawked To Studios 100

Posted by Zonk from the i'd-buy-that-for-a-dollar dept.
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."
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Halo Script Hawked To Studios More

Halo Script Hawked To Studios

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  • All this talk of the Halo universe and its bible has me wondering... have they written in this bible how the Marathon games tie in? It's been stated before by the guys at Bungie that yes, there is a link. They just haven't said precisely how. Yet.
  • Although I'm sure some will see the $10 million price for the script, and the "Bible" as a sign of Microsoft's vanity, I see it as a good thing.
    The "Bible" will keep the script from hurting the Halo 1-2 story continuity, and also make sure the film doesn't set precedents that the game developers don't want to follow.
    Second, the $10 million price tag will make sure the film studio is fully committed to the project, ensuring a large budget for the film and therefore a better chance at high-quality visual

    • Re:Happy they're taking measures for continuity (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      The lack of such control in previous attempts at translating video games to movies is probably a large reason these movies failed. I have a feeling that this is exactly the reason the Doom movie will fail (is it even still in production at this point?) I mean how can you take a move about space marines and a gate to hell being opened on mars and then turn it into a movie about mutants?

    • Re:Happy they're taking measures for continuity (Score:4, Insightful)

      by TheWanderingHermit ( 513872 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @06:58PM (#12752744)
      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.
    • recruitment of quality actors

      What I would rather see them do is just use complete CG actors. I like to see the same "people" doing the same parts. How much would return of the king have sucked if Gandalf was played by someone else? Or Return of the Jedi if Harrison Ford didn't come back? I feel the same with video games. I'd love to see a WarCraft movie, but if Arthas was anything but the CG guy I always see in the games, then I would blow the whole thing off as just some high school play no matter ho

    • Re:Happy they're taking measures for continuity (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Grab ( 126025 ) on Wednesday June 08, 2005 @06:19AM (#12755966) Homepage
      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.

  • Interesting... (Score:2, Interesting)

    by alvinrod ( 889928 )
    "The script was penned by screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach), who was reportedly paid $1 million for his services."

    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 dev

    • Good points about the Bible -- Bungie has been so careful with it, I would hope this will be some guarantee of quality in terms of the movie's plot.

      But more to the point, where are you paying $7 for a movie ticket? I want in on that action.

    • 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.

      I think Red v. Blue [roosterteeth.com] would be the perfect fanfic site to get the movie script from :p

      "I knew you could pick up chicks in a tank." -- Tucker

    • Re:Interesting... (Score:3, Interesting)

      by secolactico ( 519805 )
      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.

      I agree that it was a bit too much for the script, but I hope you are joking with your fanfic remark.

      If fanfic authors were any good, they probably wouldn't be writing fanfics.

      Ok, that might have been a bit too harsh. There are a couple of jewels hidden in all the muck that are fanfics, but they usually tend to be
      • I agree that it was a bit too much for the script, but I hope you are joking with your fanfic remark.

        Well, neither are the scripts by the people who get paid $1 million. Honestly, can you think of a movie based on a game that had an excellent or even good script. Generally, they tend to border on mediocrity at best.

        As a fan of Halo, I hope do the Master Chief some justice and don't hire Ben Affleck/Hugh Jackman/Russel Crowe/Tom Cruise to play him. They should use an actor that at leat looks like he

    • The (awesome) Halo books by Eric Nylund don't exactly have a love story sub-plot, but they do feature a lot more strong female characters. I hope they make it into the movie.

      Seriously, I was very wary of the books, but I was blown away by Fall of Reach and First Strike. The Flood, by William Dietz was only okay, but he was forced to directly follow the plot of Halo 1, so he had a lot more limitations.

    • Are you kidding? 28 Days later was great! There's another story about it [macworld.com] at MacWorld if you want to read more.

  • Halo 3 'in the works' (Score:3, Insightful)

    by skinfitz ( 564041 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @05:58PM (#12752181) Journal
    It better had be 'in the works' otherwise I for one will not be even considering an XBox360.

  • dont you dare! (Score:2, Funny)

    by LewieP ( 883971 )
    Uwe Bowl can get lost right now!
  • 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,

    THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!!

    even though the ending was t3h sux0r in halo 2, at least they are trying to stay somwhat true to the game. how many movies based on games have been totally unrelated to the games...the only one that was really close in my opinion was final fantasy, the spirits with in...because the final fantasy univers
    • Hey if you wanna see the movie now. Just go drink a little beer, rent Aliens 2 and Starship Troopers. It'll be the same thing.

      • Don't forget to grab an Xbox controller before you start the films. It makes the power loader fight ten times better. Although if you lose, gaming might not be your forte.

      • rent Aliens 2 and Starship Troopers.

        Aliens 2 and Starship Troopers both are excellent action movies. But Starship Troopers is also a very good satire on totalitarian regimes.
        I know, it's a satire 70% of all people don't seem to get.
        • No people do get it. The PROBLEM is that the novel it was based on WAS NOT satire. That is what people get. If you want to tell a satirical story about totalitarian regimes FINE, but don't ruin the master's work in doing so.

          • No people do get it.

            I know a lot of people who just didn't get the movie.
            Just look up in the web and you will find people writing about"a disgusting glorification of violence" and things like that.
            Are they blind? The soldiers even wear SS-like uniforms...

            I read the book after I watched the film. As I remember, it's not a satire but a pretty serious story. Kind of anti-war with many new ideas.
      • Halo's a very different story. Those movies were more about man vs nature, in that the enemies were swarms of unthinking, unstoppable insects. (well, there was a kind "group intelligence" but it was very alien)

        The primary enemies in Halo are the Covenant, a UN style group of aliens who have a religious mission to kill all humans and make way for their "great journey". The "unstoppable insect" enemy is the Flood, but its really more of a plot device and annoyance compared to the Covies.

        Halo 2 even has a ci

  • UWE BOLL! (Score:3, Funny)

    by smileyy ( 11535 ) <smileyy@gmail.com> on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @06:16PM (#12752334)
    Uwe Boll!
    Uwe Boll!
    Uwe Boll!

    • Re:UWE BOLL! (Score:4, Funny)

      by PoderOmega ( 677170 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @06:29PM (#12752465)
      The only movie this guy should be directing is a movie version of Daikatana
      • Last I heard he was revamping the script on Duke Nukem Forever: The Movie, slated for release this summer. Unfortunately it's only being released in certain select theatres, such as those residing in the Negaverse.
    • Uwe Boll!

      I think this may be the first script he's ever encountered that he can't possibly make even worse with bad directing. Any script dictated by a video game design compnay is going to be so bad already that even Uwe couldn't hurt it.

      -Eric

  • Huh? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Captain Splendid ( 673276 ) <capsplendid@nOsPam.gmail.com> on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @06:16PM (#12752337) Homepage Journal
    apparently further confirming Halo 3 is in the works

    Sorry, I missed the bit where we're all under the assumption that Halo 3 might not be happening.

    • Bungie has been extremely careful not to do anything to confirm that they're creating a game called "Halo 3" that follows the Halo and Halo 2 line in the usual sense. If you look at their statements, they're working on another project, they do have some stuff in mind for a video game based on the Bungie universe, but they won't confirm Halo 3 itself.

      If they are doing a Halo 3 like we all expect, why wouldn't they confirm it? (Other than to be their usual annoying Bungie selves, but I don't think they'd do
      • A crisp twenty-dollar bill says Halo 3 is an FPS.

        Having said that, a Bungie-created Halo RTS? Droooooooooool.

        • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Funny)

          by nomadic ( 141991 )
          A crisp twenty-dollar bill says Halo 3 is an FPS.

          I bet it will be a text adventure.

          You stand in a long corridor that runs north and south through the Covenant ship. Organic walls glisten wetly in the dim light, exuding an alien smell that assails your nostrils. To the east a large metallic door is set in the wall.

          >i
          You are carrying:
          a plasma rifle
          a shotgun
          a fragmentation grenade

          >look at door
          The door is made of some strangely colored metallic substance. A red light set into the

          • Re:Huh? (Score:3, Funny)

            by Ford Prefect ( 8777 )
            I bet it will be a text adventure.

            This is Halo, remember?

            You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

            >n
            You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

            >e
            You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike.

            >s
            You are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike. You are likely to get eaten by the Flood.

            Etc. Etc. Ad nauseam...
      • That "overlapping universes" idea scares and intrigues me at the same time. Dwarves blowing Covenants to bits with molotov cocktails?

    • How could they? (Score:3, Funny)

      by antin ( 185674 )
      But Halo 2 was such a complete story, wrapping up all loose ends... how could they possible make another?

  • Master Chief in Action (Score:3, Informative)

    by SwornPacifist ( 121005 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @06:28PM (#12752457)
    For those curious, here's a picture of one of the the Master Chief messengers [defamer.com]
  • I wish they had made the producers of the Doom movie consult with Id Software for the script. So far Doom: The Movie sounds like it's going to suck.
    • I wish they had made the producers of the Doom movie consult with Id Software for the script

      Doom remains the prototypical first person shooters. But iD doesn't seem able to carry the ball any further. Story has always been iD's greatest weakness. Carmack never seemed to think it was important.

  • Red v Blue? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Shadow Wrought ( 586631 ) <shadow.wroughtNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @07:21PM (#12752957) Homepage Journal
    Any word on whether or not they were interested in the script?

    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.

  • yawn (Score:2)

    by cahiha ( 873942 )
    I wouldn't mind a Half Life movie--that video game had far more interesting characters in it. Morrowind has a bit more potential, too. Even Myst. But Halo just never struck me as a particularly interesting story, even for a video game.
  • I can see them attempting to work it so that the film and the Episode III video game are released at the same time. The hype levels would be staggering.

  • Laughing my butt off (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DaveJay ( 133437 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @09:33PM (#12753829)
    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!

  • I'm only concerned with three things... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by MeanderingMind ( 884641 ) on Tuesday June 07, 2005 @09:52PM (#12753952) Homepage Journal
    ..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.
  • I seem to remember it being titled "Ringworld"

    Seriously, Halo was a good single player game, but the story was always kind of weak and the endings have been major suxxor.

    Larry Niven could poop out a better story.
    • Not true. The explanation of the story in the game hasn't been great, but their is great story behind Halo.

      I have the three Halo books that are out so far and I was seriously impressed when I read them. The books had a lot of incorrect spellings and poor grammar, but the plot was interesting..probably the fastest I have ever read a trilogy of that size. One of the first things I thought when I finished with the books was, "when are they going to make this into a movie", so I think that if they do this
    • I seem to remember it being titled "Ringworld"

      Funny. I thought it was titled Consider Phlebas [iainbanks.net]. ;-)
      • Consider Phlebas by Iain M. Banks:
        First published - 1987
        Awards Won - ? (Zero by my search)

        Ringworld by Larry Niven:
        First Published - 1970
        Awards Won - 1970 Nebula Award (Best Novel), 1971 Hugo Award (Best Novel) and the 1970 Locus Award, amongst others.

        p0wn3d!!

        I'll agree that Consider Phlebas has scored well in many sci-fi reviews: Banks is no hack and it can stand on it's own merits without being thought of as a Ringworld rip-off.

        That said, giving credit where credit is due, Banks borrowed the ring conc
  • Halo Schmalo! screw that. Last I heard MS owns FASA and all rights to the Mech Warrior Series! Now if you doubt a Mech Warrior movie based on the (books/Games) would sell, Blow the dust off a copy of Mech Warrior 2 and re-live that kick ass opening sequence.
  • which conjures up an entirely different image.

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