Peter Jackson exec-producing Halo movie

By Tom Bramwell Published 4 October, 2005

X05: Weta doing FX.

Microsoft has revealed that Lord of the Rings and King Kong director Peter Jackson and his partner Fran Walsh will be acting as executive producers on the Halo film.

Speaking on video at the X05 event in Amsterdam just now, Jackson said he was very excited about the project, and that his company Weta would be working on the special effects.

Earlier this year Microsoft had someone dressed up at the Master Chief march the film script into various studios in Hollywood in hope of doing a deal. Soon after, Universal and Fox agreed a deal that would put it on screens in 2007.

No more details have been released than that for now, but it's sure to get Halo fans jumping - and is presumably the special announcement Bungie's been teasing us about for the past week.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (36) Latest comment 6 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • darkmistx #1 6 years ago

    Good grief!

  • AHiFi #2 6 years ago

    Excellent! :) There's some hope for it! :D

  • Hicksy #3 6 years ago

    spank me

    I SAID SPANK ME!!!! o_O

  • knif3r #4 6 years ago

    so no Uwe Boll then? pity...

  • GuiltySpark #5 6 years ago

    fuck yeah

    now i can actually look forward to this film.

  • crashVoodoo #6 6 years ago

    i so wanted to write a comment but i got all excited at the prospect of him being involved i was just wordless ...

  • Yossarian #7 6 years ago

    wait, so this might not actually be bad?

  • Tiiti #8 6 years ago

    Woohoo!

  • mcmonkeyplc #9 6 years ago

    This is not Uwe Boll!

    This is god!

    /faints

  • AHiFi #10 6 years ago

    Brain Dead was an excellent movie - the LOTR movies were pretty enjoyable as well so I can't help but be happy about the choice. :) No fanboy comments about it.

  • Repsode #11 6 years ago

    YES YES YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSssss!

    Quality names attached,
    Could be the best video game movie ever. Especially since Microsoft DEMANDED that Bungie have FULL creative control.

  • sturgeon #12 6 years ago

    cool.

    bring on Spiderman 3.

  • Sko #13 6 years ago

    Isn't all an executive producer do is to make sure the film is produced to schedule and on budget? It's not like he's directing it or anything, right?

  • Xerx3s #14 6 years ago

    There is a god afterall.

    /changes from humanist/atheistic nut to a religious nut.

  • Bitkari #15 6 years ago

    Peter, Fran, & Weta?

    consider interest piqued.

  • Mugwum Verified Operations Director, Eurogamer Network #16 6 years ago

    I worry about what his role actually is too, but I doubt he'd put his name to anything he didn't think worthwhile, so who can say?

  • Repsode #17 6 years ago

    Executive producers have impotant roles, Eg some creative control ,and most important, PICKING A DIRECTOR. He's also a bit of a gamer. Peter Jackson specifically asked Ubisoft's Beyond Good and Evil team to make the game of King Kong as he enjoyed it that much. Don't worry he knows what hes doing!

  • Blerk #18 6 years ago

    So now all we need is a decent script. And actors. And budget. :-)

  • Razz #19 6 years ago

    Outcast deserved this more ;_;

  • Bates #20 6 years ago

    Peter Jackson? Lets face it, he isn't a good director, LoTR was wooden as hell, it was the visuals that carried it, the acting and directing sucked.

    This movie will probably be the same.

  • markypants #21 6 years ago

    Jaspoid - Exec producers DON'T tend to just handle finance and budget, that's what a producer/accounts dep/line producer do. The exec DOES tend to have a lot of control over the whole film. The exec just doesn't tend to actually get involved in the meat and veg of the movie (the techy side... That's the directors job!).

    Peter Jackson being an exec is very good as it will be like when Spielberg was/is exec on 'Men In Black', 'Band Of Brothers (TV)', 'Gremlins', 'Back To The Future'... He has a lot to do with getting the idea, the tone, and the directors vision on screen. Like a mentor so to speak. Of course an Exec also helps the money people feel secure, it means that they 'could' hire a lesser known director who Jackson will keep tabs on. It's such a big project that I'm guessing that MS and the 2 studios involved are investing big bucks, and want to make sure their investment is a good one.

    Sometimes If their are large amounts of money being pumped in, then the studio execs themselves will ask for exec producer credits. I think it is safe to say that Jackson's role will be to help bring in such a big CGI heavy movie successfully (LOTR being a success story as far as epic scale production is concerned), and to help secure the finance (and keep the finance people happy) for the picture because of his track record. It's a very very smart move by all involved. If it wasn't Jackson, it would have been Cameron/Spielberg. I have a feeling they have a picture deal with Jackson at the moment? Not sure.

    So I think it is like having insurance so that this picture won't become crap. Jackson is very careful about what he gets attached to, and for him to accept a role on another high profile project (after King Kong, he is working on smaller budget pics for a while 'Lovely Bones' being one project), he must not only want a big fat pay cheque, but think that what they have planned is worth doing.

    My biggest problem is that Bungie have 'Full Creative Control'. I hope they are supported fully, and people remember that computer game producers don't necessarily make good films. Just look at the amount of games that try to be films (cut scenes, game dialogue), 99% of the time it is crap. IMHO.

    /lesson over

  • TheDifficult3rdAlbum #22 6 years ago

    > "So now all we need is a decent script. And actors. And budget. :-)"

    Well, you got Alex Garland writing it, Rupert Murdoch and Bill Gates funding it and then it's a straight fight between The Rock or Vin Diesel. So that's all sorted then ;-)



  • PearOfAnguish #23 6 years ago

    Stop wasting your time on this, Weta, and get back to working on live-action Evangelion.

  • Dizzy #24 6 years ago

    >Evangelion

    Oh god no!!! Don't waste any CPU cycles on that.

    Hehe... anyway.... very impressive. I was a bit shocked by this news.

  • Carrybagma #25 6 years ago

    Hmmm. A pair of Cherries on a dogshit does not make a cake.

  • Talha #26 6 years ago

    LeDilettante : Totally agree with you (sour.grapes.). Anyone who thinks LOTR wasn;t great in every respect is, well, entitled to their opinion (sucker ;-)) but as I read worldwide reviews, it is simply one of the better movies of our time. Even more important, according to ME, it is one of the all-time best.

  • MrAtheist #27 6 years ago

    This is just a 'phony' credit linked to WETA getting the FX contract. Executive Producer is the worst 'phony' credit going in Hollywood, you can bet Halo will have about ten of them, including Bill Gates dog.

  • Dizzy #28 6 years ago

    >WETA getting the FX contract.

    is good enough news as well....

  • #29 6 years ago

    of course he will, it's filmed in New Zealand

  • #30 6 years ago

    you guys read the script for Halo 3? the halo movie must be a remake of the halo game as the 3rd game ends with few more places to go.

  • Carrybagma #31 6 years ago

    You mean, the *alleged* script.

  • #32 6 years ago

    yes, i meant the alledged (4th draft) of the script.

    in think it's genuine though.

  • Xavier_B_OXford #33 6 years ago

    YEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSS!

    Not content with making the best two games in existence, we're now going to get the Halo label on the best movie in existence! Even better than my all time fave, Weekend at Bernie's, I'll bet!

    Peter Jackson is a God among directors, creating the impressive Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the thought provoking cult movie Bad Taste, and now he involves himself in the movie to end all movies! Clearly a man that knows how to back the winning horse, unlike all those $ony fanboys lol!

    I for one will see this movie 8 times at the cinema, especially if they cast my favourite actor, Steven Seagal, in it in some capacity, as I believe he would be perfect for the Master Chief role should the Rock be unavailable.

    Make mine Microsoft!

  • GuiltySpark #34 6 years ago

    Steven Seagal?

    die you evil bastard.

  • evak #35 6 years ago

    I'd rather get an unlikely actor to play Masterchief. Instead of some dim witted beefcake, some tough wiry type who has a semblance of intelligence.

  • Carrybagma #36 6 years ago

    Woody Allen.

  • gamerbunny #37 6 years ago

    I live in NZ. Don't diss our country. Even though I have a PS2 I'm looking forward to this movie. And stop whining about Sony, MS, Nintendo beening crap towards Europe. We have to put up with it too!!!!

  • markypants #38 6 years ago

    Masterchief = SLY STALLONE

  • Carrybagma #39 6 years ago

    Pee-Wee Herman