Spielberg-backed Halo movie for 2012?

By Wesley Yin-Poole Published 6 October, 2011

UPDATE: MS says press release "inaccurate".

UPDATE: Microsoft has denied a Halo movie is in development.

"The information in the press release in question is inaccurate," said Microsoft in a statement sent to Eurogamer. "We have no plans for a Halo feature film right now. Our focus is on developing Halo: Anniversary and Halo 4."

ORIGINAL STORY: A Halo movie, backed by Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks, will launch in 2012, a new report has claimed.

The French press release kit for book Halo: Cryptum, received by Halo.fr, contains the following:

"A film adaptation is set in 2012. It will be conducted jointly by two heavyweights of American cinema: Steven Spielberg and Dreamworks."

We've had our French brethren at Eurogamer.fr take a look at the original text and it does indeed suggest the above.

Fans are speculating that the Halo movie, if real, will be based on the Cryptum novel, the first book in the Forerunner Saga by Greg Bear.

This is not the first time we've heard of Spielberg's interest in making a Halo movie.

In 2009 we heard the legendary Hollywood director was in negotiations to develop a Halo movie based on a script titled Halo The Fall of Reach.

Then, in 2010, Microsoft said it was sure a Halo movie would be made at some point - and it may even fund production itself.

The Halo movie project was thought dead after Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp put the kaibosh on it.

With New York Comic-Con set to open its doors next week, an announcement may be imminent. Eurogamer has asked Microsoft for comment.

Picture of Wesley.

About Wesley Yin-Poole

Wesley is Eurogamer's news editor. He likes news, interviews, and more news. He also likes Street Fighter more than anyone can get him to shut up about it.

Read more articles from Wesley by visiting the Wesley Yin-Poole archive page.

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Comments (65) Latest comment 5 months ago

Comments for this article are now closed, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Architect_z #1 8 months ago

    Hope its good, could be shit though.

  • Ultrasoundwave #2 8 months ago

    Hopefully Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp will still be on board too - with those two and Spielberg involved, it would no doubt be a cracking movie.

    Edited by Ultrasoundwave at 06/10/11 @ 11:03

  • StolenGlory #3 8 months ago

    Bullshit.

    Certainly not in 2012 either - it's just too soon.

  • beatwolf #4 8 months ago

    bah now i feel like puking and crapping at the same time..

  • Shadders #5 8 months ago

    Cryptum will not make a good movie.

  • Cjail #6 8 months ago

    Master Chief and the Halo of Doom!
    With Kate Capshaw as Cortana's voice.
    Edited by Cjail at 06/10/11 @ 11:09

  • LazyNinjaUk #7 8 months ago

    2012 for preproduction, production and post? I think not. I really want to see a Halo film especially if Spielberg and Weta are involved, but 2012 is definitely not likely.

  • WinterMute78 #8 8 months ago

    @EddieMink beat me to it

  • Whitster #9 8 months ago

    Given that the recent Spielberg backed TV shows Falling Skies and Tera Nova were both whack I don't hold any hope it this comes true.

  • evild_edd #10 8 months ago

    When the say "will launch", I assume they mean pre-production or, at best, filming....? No way will there be a 2012 release for such a special effects heavy blockbuster - we would've heard about it way before now.

    Unless they're taking a leftfield approach and reimagining the Master Chief as a down-trodden indie hero <a href=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TdczoetXk4>like they did with Mario</a href> ;0)

  • Eldritch #11 8 months ago

    In the face of Tin Tin, the phrase "Spielberg-backed" sounds like quite a threat.

    Expect him to replace the guns with mobiles in 10 years.

  • Britesparc Verified Creative, ITV #12 8 months ago

    If it's out in 2012 I imagine it'll be a DTV animation or something.

    However, starting production in 2012 for a 2013/14 release, that'd make sense. But I'd rather they just adapted the first game.

  • Subdominator #13 8 months ago

    An movie that is so dependant on effects can't come out in 2012 when it's not even filiming yet. 2013 would be earliest. But the main problem is that there are only 8 million people buying Halo games. That's not enough to make a successful movie.

  • evild_edd #14 8 months ago

    @Subdominator: Your 8m point isn't particularly relevant. There were next to no people buying Transformers* products when they relaunched the franchise, but they've gone on to make a shed-load.

    With the usual marketing efforts that go in to promoting summer blockbusters, I've no doubt that a huge amount of money could be made from a Halo film. Big summer blockbusters rarely fail to make money. Yes, there are exceptions, but if the studios throw enough cash at them they almost always make that back many times over.

    *Please note: I'm not saying they're good films, just making a point.

  • Dizzy #15 8 months ago

    Release in 2014 according to some other info. This would be around the same time as the nxt xbox and maybe a next gen Halo? Makes sense.

  • Syrette #16 8 months ago

    Just had a at look EG.fr via the above link, and came across this:

    [link url=http://www.eurogamer.fr/articles/osef185-news546
    ]http://www.eurogamer.fr/articles/osef185...[/link]

    The copy translates to "Sarah Palin is not a candidate for the American Presidential elections".

    That's the entire news story. Is this that infamous French sense of humour showing itself again?

  • Sunyavadin #17 8 months ago

    Get rid of Spielberg, bring back Jackson and Blomkamp, and I'll consider it as having any chance of being good.

  • FireMonkey #18 8 months ago

    halo.fr was blocked by my antivirus program! Probably best staying clear

    "Access to the web page was blocked by ESET NOD32 Antivirus.
    The web page is on the list of websites with potentially dangerous content."

  • HarryMasonHerpderp #19 8 months ago

    spielberg has gone abit crap now IMO i think peter jackson would of done a much better job
    especially after watching district 9,awesome film an a lil bit halo-ey

  • FireMonkey #20 8 months ago

    Also you quote "A film adaptation is set in 2012."

    That is 'set in' and not 'will launch in' as you report. Is this just a bad translation? I doubt any Halo film could be set in 2012 unless it is some kind of prequel.

  • Jolly_Armadillo #21 8 months ago

    Meh I much prefer a half life or bioshock movie to an uncharted or halo movie.

  • geeza2020 #22 8 months ago

    No FPS should ever be made into a film. Doom got away with it because it has never taken itself seriously, so you could do the same with the movie. Halo however, takes itself extremely seriously despite being about of space marines fighting colouful aliens going "pewpewpew". This will be terrible.

  • GamesConnoisseur #23 8 months ago

    Sigh, a movie could certainly be anything. All depends on script, direction, production budget, acting/casting, and so on.

    A great production company could be in a good place to get it all together, my greatest concern is not who ll direct or act, but the most fundamental thing that make or break careers of directors, producers and actors (crew too to a lesser extent!) is the script.

    The right script that balances perfectly the homage to Halo universe with perfectly immersive story. A hard call.

    I enjoy Halo franchise but just don't do Judge Dredd, casting the character with his famous helmet off throughout the film except tiny bits! By same token, audience will never identify with helmed, expressionless Spartan Supersolider.

    Early years, where children were kidnapped, trained and genetic engineered surgeries, augmented etc would take whole movie by itself and conclude with the saviours battling.. Means to an end innit?!!

    We ll see.

  • darkinvadeher #24 8 months ago

    i wanna see this happen but i dont wanna see them mess it up

  • darleysam #25 8 months ago

    I just wish the Blomkamp version had gone ahead. It would've been the best film.

  • Monkey_Puncher #26 8 months ago

    Who believes a word French people say though?

  • comedyjack #27 8 months ago

    My dream team (emphasis on dream, because this would probably never happen) would include:

    Exec Producer - Spielberg
    Director - Neil Bompkamp/Ridley Scott/James Cameron (maybe)
    Composer - Clint Mansell, in collaboration with Martin O'Donnell, of course
    Digital Effects - ILM AND Weta

    EDIT: Scratch that, take Spielberg out. His name on the Exec label reminds me of Transformers.
    Give them a billion dollars and let the magic happen.


    Edited by comedyjack at 06/10/11 @ 12:21

  • syra #28 8 months ago

    Is noone reading the words 'is set in'... doesn't say it's due for release.

    Also the whole project was long since scrapped.

  • tiny_Eggy #29 8 months ago

    How is that good news. Anyone watched Falling Skies or Terra Nova recently? Utter crap. If I were a fan I wouldn't want Spielberg anywhere near my favourite game series.

  • gandhimaster #30 8 months ago

    I'm with comedyjack on this for sure! if MS can get james cameron to direct it, and its similar to aliens in design etc them I'm all-in!

    I just hope the director is a halo fan. genuine one and so won't fuck it up.

  • carlitoswagon #31 8 months ago

    @geeza2020

    Doom didn't get away with it. Doom the movie was utter shite from start to finish and could/should have been much more.

  • overcorpse #32 8 months ago

    Lost me at "French".

  • Dizzy #33 8 months ago

    > If I were a fan I wouldn't want Spielberg anywhere near my favourite game series.

    War Horse will say hello when it cleans up the Oscars later.

  • rtk79 #34 8 months ago

    @17 : EG.fr is, indeed, awful : it reads like the editor's insipid blog, fails to understand the news it copies and will forever stand as a disgrace to the EG international network, but in no way should it be taken for an exemple of French humour, thought or writing.
    Down with EG.fr !
    Edited by rtk79 at 06/10/11 @ 14:08

  • MoGamer2006 #35 8 months ago

    So Spielberg is shit, according to the creative powerhouses who populate this forum? I bow to your superior wisdom!

  • simonpm #36 8 months ago

    Halo movie?

    God no .... please, just no.

    How about just leaving a successful gaming series as just that, rather than putting the mockers on it by trying to wring every fkin penny out of it.

    It'll only end in tears...

  • Whitster #37 8 months ago

    @Mogamer

    I never said Spielberg was shit. In fact Spielbeg has been responsible for some of the finest films ever created. Indy, Jurrasic Park, Saving Privite Ryan, ET, Close Encounters, Schiendlers List, all fantastic films. My point was that most of what he's been attached to as a producer recently has been pants, Transformers, Falling Skies, Tera Nova all pretty poor. But thats just my opinion.

  • geeza2020 #38 8 months ago

    carlitoswagon - explain to me how a game about going to hell and blasting demons with a fucking double-barrelled shotgun could be made into a film that was about more than just shooting shit - which is exactly what the Doom film was. The fact they changed the story so the monsters were man made instead of from hell didnt make single bit of fucking difference.

  • Nova1977 #39 8 months ago

    I know there was rumours last year about a Halo movie based on the Reach novel but this soon? Ich don't think so. If they are going to release it for next year we can probably expect something similar to the Green Lantern "movie" that was announced last year and came out this year.

  • funkateer #40 8 months ago

    "But the main problem is that there are only 8 million people buying Halo games. That's not enough to make a successful movie. "

    Since when does a successful movie require a game at all?
    It might just become a movie worth watching with the name Spielberg attached to it.

  • Caimbeul #41 8 months ago

    Speilberg has not made anything decent for while.

  • Architect_z #42 8 months ago

    Steven Spielberg gave me a blumpkin.

  • dmt2 #43 8 months ago

    Could be worse - could be George Lucas

  • sourc0r #44 8 months ago

    if you come up with non-stereotype characters and manage to leave out most types of aliens without turning this into something that does not feel like halo at all, then yeah, that could work out somehow.

  • Sir_STRESSHEaD #45 8 months ago

    "No FPS should ever be made into a film. Doom got away with it because it has never taken itself seriously, so you could do the same with the movie. Halo however, takes itself extremely seriously despite being about of space marines fighting colouful aliens going "pewpewpew". This will be terrible."

    @geeza2020

    You muppet! Anyone who knew anything about story telling or substance would know that the Halo universe is rich in content worthy of a great film! It ain't gonna all be filmed down the barrel of a battle rifle!

  • smelly #46 8 months ago

    The story in halo is not good enough to warrant a movie.

    - hell, i'd rather watch a movie based on fucking mario kart....

  • Spong #47 8 months ago

    Spielberg? Why?
    It's not like there's any story to Halo, just ask any of the mentally stunted retards who play the games. I imagine the movie will be similar in that it'll be all about shooting the fuck out of anything that moves while wearing a gay-looking helmet and riding around in a stupid Jeep. You don't don't need Spielberg to churn out that shit, surely Uwe Boll would suffice?

  • FortysixterUK #48 8 months ago

    If this actually goes ahead, despite the denials, lets hope they make a trilogy straight off, with the epic story arc following John from when he and a bunch of his fellow class mates were kidnapped from the school playground and replaced with clones to trick their families, all the way through his rather evil traning up to the end of the 3rd game.

  • darkmorgado #49 8 months ago

    The story in halo is not good enough to warrant a movie.

    If it's good enough to sustain a dozen novels, a comicbook series, animated movies, an encyclopaedia and innumerous fanfic then it's good enough to carry a feaure made by shoddywood.

  • coolbritannia #50 8 months ago

    darkmorgado wins.

  • DavidBoring #51 8 months ago

    another great moment for videogame journalism

  • curtlikesmeat #52 8 months ago

    Derivative sci-fi fast tracked to Hollywood blockbuster? Perfect! Sign Michael Bay up, unleash a team of Hollywood crack scriptwriters and lets get going, every day we waste is a day we're not making money!

  • Colvin #53 8 months ago

    Vin Diesel as Master Chief. Make it happen.

  • smelly #54 8 months ago

    "If it's good enough to sustain a dozen novels, a comicbook series, animated movies, an encyclopaedia and innumerous fanfic"


    Yes.. and mario has all of them too.. doesnt mean the film should EVER have happened.

  • Uncompetative #55 8 months ago

    It is utterly impractical to have a lead who barely speaks.

    So, make a trilogy covering the narrative arc of The Arbiter. He's cool.

    Master Chief can then have repeated awesome cameos. Less is definitely more.

    Edited by Uncompetative at 07/10/11 @ 16:34

  • tnt_2008smum #56 8 months ago

    @smelly

    Jesus! Give it a rest you tool!

  • natureboy #57 8 months ago

    Video game movies = FAIL. When will greedy Hollywood ever learn?

  • irrelevanthuman #58 8 months ago

    The Blomkamp test reel showed real potential. Jackson and Spielberg are collaborating on Tintin and Jackson worked with Blomkamp, perhaps Spielberg is producing and Blomkamp is helming? That would be cool. Too cool to happen.

  • smelly #59 8 months ago

    >Jesus! Give it a rest you tool!

    Give what a rest? I cant think of a SINGLE video game with a plot which'd actually make a good film...

    Certainly not halo or any other fps game featuring faceless space marines...

  • tnt_2008smum #60 8 months ago

    @smelly

    Try giving turning up in every Halo related thread and making pointless negative comments a rest! You don’t like Halo, we get it, so let it go and move on!

  • smelly #61 8 months ago

    Er - i said it'd make a bad movie - not a bad game.. dumb ass.

  • tnt_2008smum #62 8 months ago

    Wow good retort, well done. Let’s be honest smelly you used this thread to make yet another pointless criticism of Halo!! But hey if you’re too much of a coward to admit it that’s your problem!!

    Me, I’d rather be a dumb ass than a coward any day thanks very much!!

  • Nintendo-360 #63 5 months ago

    ok if they can make a movie after transformers then they can make a movie after somthing as badass as halo.

  • Nintendo-360 #64 5 months ago

    I mean did you see what they did to transformers?! it was cartoon from the 80's and they made it into a kickass film! Just think of what they could do to Halo!

  • Nintendo-360 #65 5 months ago

    @smelly ok when it hit theaters or on dvd of hell even netflix dont watch it