Why the Halo movie failed by Jamie Russel

Here's a pretty succinct article by Jamie Russel on why the Halo movie fell over. It's acutally from his book: How video games invaded Hollywood

The short answer is money but it's a good read. Here's a snippet from the article:

What was apparent during the Halo deal-making was that Microsoft was far from home, perhaps even surrounded in enemy territory.

In the middle of the Halo negotiations, as all parties sat around the table, Shapiro recalls the discussion between Microsoft’s Hollywood liaison Peter Schlessel and Jimmy Horowitz, Universal’s co-president of production, taking an aggressive turn. “Schlessel was getting really tough on some of the terms with Horowitz: ‘Come on, don’t be a jerk, blah, blah, blah…’. It was getting really heated. The guy from Microsoft [Steve Schrek] was like, ‘Wow, this is really good.’

Then we took a break and Schlessel goes to Horowitz, ‘Are you coming over for Passover?’ Because they know each other. You don’t have those kinds of relationships in videogames. In Hollywood you can be getting at each other but then you’re playing golf together the next day.”

Even after the deal was struck, the misunderstanding over how the movie business operated continued to be a problem. Microsoft wanted a big-name director, but Peter Jackson, helmer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, decided to sign on as a co-producer alongside Peter Schlessel, Mary Parent and Scott Stuber.

Jackson wanted his new protégé, an up-and-coming commercials whiz kid called Neill Blomkamp, to direct. With Jackson’s fee running to several million dollars the studios knew there was an advantage in hiring a cheaper, less well-known talent to sit in the director’s chair. Microsoft was reputedly not happy with the decision.

The joke is on them as Blomkamp and Peter Jackson went on to make District 9.

Are we ever going to see a live-action Halo movie?

Are we ever going to see a live-action Halo film?

That was the question put to Frank O’Conner by IGN.

In short, Halo fans are going to have to keep watching District 9 reruns for a long time.

Frankie: "It's important to say that the partners that we were connected with before were great – they were awesome to work with; I talk to those guys almost daily – and you can go read the details about studios grappling with each other," said O'Connor. "I do work every week connected to when a movie, or if a movie, is eventually made, are we ready to go? And the answer is very much so, yes. But we can afford to bide our time and wait for the exact perfect time and the exact perfect partner."

Exact perfect partner? They had him! His name was Peter ‘Look at all my Oscars and we made those films in New Zealand!’ Jackson.

"One of the most depressing things as a fanboy is the example of Dune. Peter Berg was going to remake that film. I love the original, so I'll just keep consuming it, but I thought, 'Okay, maybe Berg could do this.' So either he pulls out or they don't accept his script or they don't like the direction.

Whatever. I don't know.

I'm not a Hollywood gossip. And then it goes away. All big films do this. Look at Avatar. It's heading for the biggest grossing film of all time and it was mired in production hell. Ours was heavens compared to what they've gone through. You have a guy like James Cameron who just sits there, tenaciously saying, 'I'm going to make this and I'm going to make it right,' or he moves on to the next one.

Avatar.

It.

Was

Awesome.

But if they made Halo like that, fanboys would have a big bonfire outside Bill Gates house, setting red bricked 360’s alight with copies of Combat Evolved.

At least Frankie recognised this:

"And we're Microsoft," said O'Connor. "We're muscular. We can afford, much like James Cameron, to sit here and wait for the best opportunity…And by the way, can you print, right after I said that, I do not think that Halo is going to be the next Avatar? Cuz I will be dragged through the streets, bleeding, unless I caveat that!"

Check out this post I wrote a while back about why the Halo movie didn’t get made.

Alex Garland talks about his Halo movie script

Alex Garland talks about his Halo movie script

Alex Garland made his name as the Danny Boyle's script writer for the films, The Beach and zombie flick, 28 Days later. Halo fans might also know him as the guy that was paid a million dollars by Microsoft to write the first draft of the Halo movie they and Bungie wanted to make.  It eventually failed to be made.

That was quite a few years ago but Alex was asked about the script in a recent interview he did for Edge Magazine as part I of what I presume was press for his the last film he scripted, Dredd.

Did you get a taste of what that’s like in your involvement with the aborted Halo movie?

AG - I didn’t really. I mean, I got hired to write a script. I wrote the script, I handed it in and that was it.

JJ - So he's not a fan boy then....

Did you get any feedback on why D.B. Weiss was hired on to do a rewrite? What were the concerns with your draft?

 
AG - There were no concerns initially. That was the draft that they financed and sold, and then the concerns began. You’ve got to understand, in my working life there are two different things. There are jobs I do working for hire, which I do every now and then if I’ve got bills to pay, essentially, and then there’s the films I make with DNA, which is a completely different process. I can’t get sacked from the film Dredd. I can’t get sacked from 28 Days Later. I’m not a writer for hire. I’m coming to them with a project and saying, do you want to make it? It’s a completely different set-up on all levels.

So you didn’t have as much emotional investment in the Halo script?

 
AG - When I’m working as a writer for hire, I’ll do the best job I can, and that’s kind of it. But I’ve got much more emotional connection to a project I can’t get sacked from, where I’ve worked on it because I’ve chosen to. I doubt I’ll ever get hired to do something like that Halo script again because I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s never worked out. So why would they keep paying me money to do it? It doesn’t make any sense. I wouldn’t pay me to do it, put it that way.

JJ - I guess that explains the script re-write then......

I was interested to read that Garland thinks that Bioshock had one of the greatest ever stories - that's a sign he knows his stuff eh?

 

Garland would continue his foray into scifi with Annihilation, Ex Machina and Dredd.  

Neill Blomkamp reflects on the Halo film

The Playlist features Neill Blomkamp's thoughts on how Halo has lead him to where he is today, about to release his second feature length fill "Elysium."

For those so unaware, Neill was set to direct Halo and well into production development before it was canned. 

Here's the tasty bits Neil said:

"I think 'Halo' was a complete blessing in disguise. I have no idea what would've happened to my career if I had done that."

"It really, really, really, really, really happened in a way that I think is pretty lucky for me. I'm lucky that I met Peter Jackson and I'm incredibly lucky that he was the person that allowed 'District 9' to be made. There is absolutely no way on God's Earth that that film would be made in Hollywood without his involvement. Or without him basically dictating that it was going to be me. A first time director, you just can't do that"

"What happened for me was, the collapse of the hornet's nest nightmare that 'Halo' would've been -- and I got to experience that as well, I worked on that thing for six months -- it's like 'good riddance' when it falls over. And then to be more confident in your own ideas, and to work on ['District 9'] and then to work on another idea at the time, it's now reaffirmed for me, you don't need to go and do this whole approach that a lot of directors seem to take. I don't really care if it's not the biggest film. As long as I'm creatively invested in it, I feel like I'm making the right choice. It could be a $5 million film, it doesn't matter. The budget we needed on ['Elysium'] was a lot, but that's because the concept required that."

10 Reasons why Peter Jackson should try and make the Halo movie again

Robert Rodriguez should direct Halo movie

Jessica Alba as Cortana?

HBO noticed that Holly Wood director Robert Rodriguez had a few things to say about a possible Halo movie. His views are interesting because he's a dude who *gets* movies. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, go buy Sin City. Rodriguez spoke to IGN - and one of the questions had the machete loving director talking about Halo:

"My 12-year-old was playing the original Halo again on campaign. He was like, "This is so cool." Just watching Master Chief step out for the first time, and seeing him relive that for the first time. He probably never really played it like that. It's amazing seeing how it still works cinematically after 10 years. It goes to show good storytelling will never go out of style. In fact, that's what's needed in movies today. Storytelling needs to be even better than ever because that's how people are absorbing stories now, is through interactive."

So, I've previously suggested Andrew Nicholson should direct the Halo movie but perhaps Microsoft and Frankie should seriously think about giving the reins to Rodriquez?

Two Cranes and a Halo short film

Do you remember those cool movies that were released around the time of Halo 3 such as the one that that had the ODST soliders running round blowing up giant Brutes with rockets? You know, the one with the ODST fellas trying to track the Master Chief as he re-entered Earth's atmosphere (and thus set the scene for the start of Halo 3)?



I've always thought of those two cranes from the shorts (above) as naggingly familar to me. And think I've figured out why - as I walked to work the other day I spied in the distance two cranes found at Wellington's Port, CentrePort.

And that was it for me - knowing that Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp made the short films in preparation for the production of the Halo movie only a 15 odd minute drive from this spot made me wonder if these cranes in the Wellington Port were used as inspiration for the short, or were even copied directly.

Here's a shot of them from the Centreport's own website:

What do you think? Am I seeing things?

Terminal Teaser: This ring is not just a weapon

Anya Stroud cosplay form Comic Con

A little teaser about the Terminals that will be found in Halo: Aniversary which was captured by an Panel audience member.

Are you ready RECLAIMER?




Extra for Experts: I mightily endorse this call for the Halo movie to be finally made!

Joe Staten talks up the Halo Movie - in 2005

Remember that Halo movie that was SOOOO close to being made? HBO higlighted a six year old article by one of Bungie's Hard Hitters (or is that Grizzled Ancient?) Joe Staten about how Bungie hooked up with Alex Garland to write the first Halo movie script...

"A few months back word got out that Alex Garland had written a Halo movie script, and that Universal and 20th Century Fox were interested in double-teaming it into a film. We didn't say anything at the time because the deal still needed massaging. But today I'm happy to announce that Microsoft and the studios have worked-out all the kinks, and we're ready to get cracking on the fun, creative part of the process.

You've undoubtedly got questions: "What's the plot? Is it the same as Halo1? Halo2?" "Who's gonna play the Chief? Scratch that – who's gonna play Cortana?" "I read somewhere that the script had ‘bad buzz'. Does that mean the movie's gonna suck?"

I can't respond to any "who, what, where" queries without ruining a bunch of cool surprises, (there will be Grunts - that I guarantee), but as far as the quality of the finished film goes…well, the only thing I can say is: so far so good.

Let me tell you a story…

About six months after Halo1 shipped we started getting calls from Hollywood. This was the summer of 2002 and we were just starting to crank on Halo 2, but Pete Parsons (Bungie's studio-manager) decided it was worth me spending a few days in LA to suss out our options.

While I knew that Halo1 had sold well, I didn't know just how far outside the hard-core the so-called "Halo Phenomenon" had spread. So it was pretty shocking to meet a bunch of film producers, writers, etc. who not only claimed to be "big, big fans" of the game, but were able to back-up their assertions with detailed descriptions of their favorite legendary co-op moments, vivid war-stories from recent LAN parties, etc.

Though, to be honest, when I say "shocking" I really mean alluring".

-

The full article is on Bungie here.

As everyone reading this probably knows, the movie when into production with New Zealand's favourite son Peter Jackson producing and wunderkind Neill Blomkamp directing but then the movie died and the two focused on District 9 which was a pretty bloody good Sci Fi movie. Like everyone, I've chipped in with my views on who should direct Halo before too....

Why Andrew Nicol should direct the Halo Movie

Why Andrew Nicol should direct the Halo Movie (if it ever gets green lit again!)

First up. Who is Andew Nicol you might ask? He’s a Hollywood film director that KNOWS his SCI FI. He’s notabably notable for writing and directing GATTACCA and writing and producing The Truman Show (and was Oscar nominated) but he also wrote S1MONE which starred Al Pacino and wrote the The Terminal for Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. He also knows about guns, lots of guns as he wrote and directed the Nic Cage vehicle, Lord of War. Don't get shot with your own gun eh?

Nicol knows the Hollywood system inside and out having been a player for many years. He's friends with the Biggest Player of them All, Mr Speilberg. He will be able to manage the crap and provide a platform which Frank, 343 Industries and Bill Gates are happy with.

Combine his love of sci fi, ability to write oscar nominated scripts, and his clear, determined approach to no nonsense movie making and you have a guy that can shepherd in a Halo movie with the love and care that expected from the built-in fan base.

Actually, it’s not that Andrew Nicol should direct the Halo movie, its Andrew Nichol deserves the Halo movie.

Plus he’s a New Zealander! We Kiwis are fucking great at making movies (and Halo Games – see Chris Butcher). We have Peter Jackson and Sam Neil. He kicked Juarassic Park’s Prehistoric Ass back to beyond the Stone Age. Hell, Sam Neil would make a great Captain of the Pillar of Autumn eh? 

What ever you do Andrew, DO NOT CAST DENZEL WASHINGTON as Sarge Johnson. Washington's smugness ruins just about every movie he's been in. Except Training Day when his smug character needed his smug attitude....

Oh crickey, I just remembered about James Cameron. Ignore the above!

The Return Part One Youtube Video

So, yup, another anime that 343 is milking the golden Halo cow with.... if I was was to be objective the short was slow, dull and the sense of 'epic-ness forth coming' the Return tried to project was actually distinctly lacking. The best Halo anime so far was The Package.

I will of course, dear Halo Reach Game News Reader, watch the remaining episodes to be sure I hate it, because that's what Halo fan boys do....

I will give 343 some credit though. It's the first thing to be released since Halo 3, which gives us some news of events in the Halo Universe that happened after we Halo players finished the fight in H3 so it could be a nice lil footnote in the big scheme of things.

Halo Waypoint described The Return as:

Set years after the events of Halo 3, "The Return" follows a lone Covenant Shipmaster's spiritual journey across the surface of a once thriving human colony world -- a world overrun and destroyed by a fleet under his direct command. Focusing on the Shipmaster's search for meaning amongst the devastated ruins of a now dead planet, "The Return" is a somber reflection on the aftermath of war, punctuated by moments of intense action.

The Return will show every weekend in April on Waypoint.

Jimmy Jangles vists the Weta Cave

The Weta Cave is the 'store front' if you will of Weta Workshop. Weta Workshop is a "multi-award winning conceptual design and physical manufacturing facility servicing the world's entertainment and creative industries." 


Keen Halo fans might know it as the place where the props and production was happening for the as yet unmade Halo Movie. They are more well known for making a series of movies some people call Lord of the Rings. In Wellington, we just call them 'that film Peter made' a while back....


Weta Cave is a shop for people to go and buy trinkets and sculptures and books on the various movies that Weta Work shop has contributed to - and they have some Halo product for sale. 

Visitors to the Cave get to see a 20 minute short of the goings on at Weta Workshop - there's heaps of Halo stuff in there as they did a lot of preproduction work for the canned movie. Still, there's some hope a Halo film will get made...

Here's some poor quality iphone pictures of what's on offer that I took during my visit this afternoon. 

Arby and the Chief

Various Spartan Helemets

Chief v. Flood

Brute Spiker from the Halo film production

Prop from the Blomkamp Shorts

Jimmy Jangles and new friend Lurtz

Movies and Media that make references to the Halo Universe

References to Halo found in other movies

The original Halo is famous for being inspired in part by the Aliens series of films. It's no secret that some things were borrowed straight out of the movies. Quotes, characters, in jokes and vehicles shared Aliens themes and styles. Check this list for some examples.


Sometimes things come full circle, and now some movies are referencing the Halo games. Here's a list of notable mentions:


"Taken" (2002)
Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over (2003)
Temporada de patos (2004)
 -  "Halo? What's that?" "It's a video game"
The Hard Problem: The Science Behind the Fiction (2004) (V)
 -  mentioned once
The 40 Year Old Virgin (2005)
 -  Andy talks about playing Halo.
"Jeopardy!: (#22.48)" (2005)
 -  correct response in "Computer Gaming" category
Last Laugh '05 (2005) (TV)
 -  dialogue
"Game One: (#1.1)" (2006)
 -  The show reports about the progress of the Halo movie, showing scenes from the game too.
"30 Rock: Blind Date (#1.3)" (2006)
 -  One of Liz's ex boyfriends used to play Halo all day
"30 Rock: Tracy Does Conan (#1.7)" (2006)
 -  Dennis plays Halo till Liz falls asleep
Dead & Deader (2006) (TV)
 -  "I'm more of a 'Halo' guy."
Doomed (2007) (V)
 -  video game mentioned
Sydney White (2007)
 -  Gurkin describes the video game he created as a combination of several others
"Trading Spaces: Thrills and Spills" (2007)
 -  Mentioned during the part where they buy the video game system for the kitchen
Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007) (V)
 -  mentioned once
Lost Signal (2007)
 -  mentioned in dialogue
"The Big Bang Theory: The Dumpling Paradox (#1.7)" (2007)
 -  the guys play it
Fable 2 (2008) (VG)
 -  The Collecters Edition has two items that can be downloaded. Hal's Armor and Hal's Sword which resembles Spartan Armor and the Covenent Energy Sword respectively. There is even a backstory about a "Hal" coming through a rift from another world.

Jeff Dunham's Very Special Christmas Special (2008) (TV)
 -  Mentioned in dialogue
17 Again (2009)
 -  mentioned that Ned has the new 'Halo' game
"House M.D.: Here Kitty (#5.18)" (2009)
 -  "Over 400 teenagers you were playing 'Halo' with last night"
"Gossip Girl: The Grandfather (#2.19)" (2009)
 -  mentioned by Blair
"The Big Bang Theory: The Dead Hooker Juxtaposition (#2.19)" (2009)
 -  Penny offers to play it.
"Harper's Island: Snap (#1.10)" (2009)
 -  When asked if he's ever actually shot anything, Sully replies with the names of three video games he's played
"The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XX (#21.4)" (2009)
 -  Jimbo is dressed up as the Master Chief.

    Jimbo Jones as the Master Chief in The Simpsons TV Show

District 9 - the ship that carries the Prawn to the mothership looks suspiciously shaped like a Pelican. Also the lead character says the word 'Halo' at one stage.

List borrowed from IMDB

What happened to the Halo Movie?

Let's just say Denzel Washington's Trip to Wellington in New Zealand  turned out to be a big waste of his time.


New Zealand's Godfather of Film, Peter Jackson had done the deals and was set to produce a silver screen version of the Halo universe till things crashed and burned like a Pelican crashing and burning on a beach. 

During 2005 - 2007, the stars, both metaphorical and literal, were aligning.

Initially Alex Garland, a novelist known for the script of his own novel, The Beach had handed over a script for Halo that covered the time frame of The Fall of Reach. Legend has it that Mr Garland was paid $1 million by Microsoft (who own the rights to Halo) to write the adaptation of Halo. Microsoft then sold the script to Universal for $10 million.

Enter Mr Jackson, King of the World after LOTR and King Kong. Let's make a Halo movie, he said.

Things were in production. Bungie was in cahoots, helping out with the canon and helping foster the film's development. 


Neil Blomkamp at the time an unknown ingénue who had built a strong reputation as a director of commercials was in Wellington preparing the film. Blomkamp directed a trilogy of live-action Halo short films (known collectively as Landfall)  to promote the release of the Xbox 360 game Halo 3. 


It was gangbusters and not Dambusters. District 9 was just a short film called Alive in Joburg.


They even made a real live Warthog jeep. Denzel flew into Wellington. Would he be playing Sergeant Johnson?


And then Hollywood took a royal dump on the whole shebang.


Production was put on ice. Best laid plans were sucked into the suck. The big wigs in Hollywood chickened out and canceled the Halo movie. Grown men wept and Denzel Washington left was never to utter the line "I know what the ladies like" in a movie. 


Blomkamp had this telling thing to say "It's not so much me as the entire vessel sank. Basically, it was a combination of; there were two studios involved that weren't getting along in the process of making it, Universal and Fox. That kind of stuff happens, it's a fragile industry. So the film collapsed at the end of last year, and it's been dead, ever since then. I'll be curious to see what happens." 


So fuck you Universal and Fox. 


In 2009, scriptwriter Stuart Beattie tried to get the Halo juices flowing again  with his own spec script. It was rumored that Steven Speilberg blew his load on the script but it was a galaxy too far and the Halo movie is happening no more.

Concept Artwork that Beattie Commissioned 

Extra for Experts: Peter Jackson also had planned to make a computer game called Halo: Chronicles. This too, never saw a byte published.