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Studios pull out of Halo film News
Xbox 360 Xbox News by Rob Fahey
Microsoft's ambition to get a big-budget Halo movie into cinemas has taken a knock this week, with film studios Universal and Fox pulling out of the deal they had struck with the software giant after a last-ditch attempt to renegotiate terms was rebuffed.
The film has been attracting controversy in the movie business since Microsoft first sent the Alex Garland (The Beach, 28 Days Later) penned script to studios, with one of the most hefty price tags ever seen for a licensed property attached to it - as well as a demand that Microsoft Game Studios and developer Bungie be given almost complete creative control over the project.
Despite these terms, Fox and Universal reached an agreement whereby they would team up to fund and distribute the movie - but just ahead of a key October 15th milestone date, the studios approached executive producers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh demanding that their deals should be improved. Jackson and Walsh refused, and now Fox and Universal have pulled out, leaving the Halo movie without funding or a distribution deal.
Although rumours have reportedly been flying around Hollywood in recent weeks that the budget for the film has skyrocketed to over $200 million, making it into one of the most expensive videogame movies in history, a spokesperson for Jackson and Walsh denied that vehemently in comments made to film industry bible Variety.
"The only budget the filmmakers every spoke about was $145 million less the 12.5 per cent rebate that you get from shooting in New Zealand, which would put it at about $128 million," spokesperson Ken Kamins told the magazine. "That was the only number that was ever discussed."
Although losing the involvement of the studios is obviously a big deal for the Halo movie, all is not lost - and pre-production work is continuing apace at Weta Digital and Weta Workshop, the New Zealand based visual effects companies which Jackson created to build the Lord of the Rings movies.
Meanwhile, Microsoft is said to be in talks with other distribution partners already - and given the growing strength of the Halo brand, it seems unlikely that the movie will be without a studio partner for long. Microsoft's commitment to developing the Halo franchise was demonstrated clearly at X06 last month - with the firm revealing that as well as the upcoming Halo 3, work is also underway on a strategy title, Halo Wars, as well as a new trilogy of products set in the Halo universe which will be helmed by Peter Jackson.
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Penguinzoot
20/10/06 @ 12:43
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That would be amusing yes. Although I don't imagine Sony would turn the project down if they thought there was a decent chance of making a lot of money on it ;-)
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This is actually good news. Creators refusing to bow down to pressure from finance moguls and distributors, hey give me more of these any day. If anything, this is a guarantee that the movie will not be a creative compromise. If this is the case, then Jackson and Co. are way better off without Fox and Universal.
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Penguinzoot
20/10/06 @ 12:54
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Also, Jackson went through the same stuff when Miramax pulled out of LOTR. Found another backer though.
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I don't see the need to make a movie out of cinematic inspired/presented videogames.
They can often stand up to movies in their own right AND are "interactive". Plus, in the games they can take the time to expand the story as much as they want. Which is one of the main problems with movie adaptations. The only reason for doing these movies (and I'm thinking MGS and Halo) is money. And when everyone is touting increased next-gen game development costs, why not put more money into the games instead of movies?
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most recently on 20/10/06 @ 14:16
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Frankly, I say big deal. Didn't Bungie have a big involvement in the creation of the script? And isn't the director at the helm of the film a first timer? And who honestly (with a straight face) can name me a good videogame movie adaptation from hollywood? I'm glad Universal and Fox canned the film. From what I understand Microsoft were being unreasonable. If it gets made mark my words; it'll be a stinker.
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>shouldn't they just fund it themselves then?
Well they are not in the publishing business so I guess they don't want to get into that. Anyway... the Halo movie is almost guaranteed to be a big success (financial wise) so i guess publishers will jump in soon. It has been a while since we had some good SF epic movies.... looking forward to it. Especially if it is the Fall of Reach. |
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KillahSouljah
20/10/06 @ 13:29
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Oh shame, not looking to good for Halo fans.
So how does it feel to hear abit of bad news, sucks dont it, well xbox fangirls deserve it. pay to play games online. pay extra for a hd-dvd drive that only plays videos dish out more money for a motion sensing controller that microsoft will release in the future. PLAYSTATION 3's the FUTURE! and you all know it. |
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@KillahSouljar
Er, half of what you said doesn't even make sense... couldn't you go and find some brightly-coloured shapes to play with, instead of posting here? Mixed feelings about the film - I enjoyed the original Halo's story, but Halo 2's was muddled and - at times - boring. I've also lost a lot of faith in Peter Jackson after King Kong... |
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"shouldn't they just fund it themselves then?"
Yes, but where would microsoft find that kind of money? Errm... KillerSoulJah...We're talking about a movie about an IP which has appeared on xbox, where the hell do you even see a connection with the PS3?! Talking about blu-ray makes me speculate though... The HALO movie will only be released on HD-DVD after the cinemas... Could happen... |
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"Frankly, I say big deal. Didn't Bungie have a big involvement in the creation of the script?"
Only as far as keeping the script true to the source material... "And isn't the director at the helm of the film a first timer?" Someone called Neill Blomkamp? (From imdb.com) but I doubt Peter Jackson will let him ruin a film with his name affiliated with it. "And who honestly (with a straight face) can name me a good videogame movie adaptation from hollywood? " I'd like to say Silent Hill. "I'm glad Universal and Fox canned the film. From what I understand Microsoft were being unreasonable. If it gets made mark my words; it'll be a stinker." Its not really canned is it, if pre-production is still going full steam ahead? This won't stay producer less for very long. |
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Never could understand why fans hold so much sway in where Cortana might be going and who the big gooey monster is and all that crap. It's just so much sub-par pulp SF nonsense. Halo is good because you can shoot the shit out of loads of things. The story is, for me, pretty much irrelevant.
Master Chief could be going down the shop for some fags for all I care - as long as I can blow the slimy guts out of some motherfucking alien chav horde on the way, I'm happy. Having said that, as long as the film has enormous spaceships, LOTR-sized battles and no bloody love-interest... bring it on. |
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SeesThroughAll
20/10/06 @ 13:57
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Chances are, the studios are actually doing the franchise a favour.
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Fatallyflawed
20/10/06 @ 14:00
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I read that Neill Blomkamp is the same guy that did the, imo, excellent transforming citreon advert.
@ KillahSouljah please post your mindless, sony fanboy drivel elsewhere |
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I couldnt understand all the hype about the story and characters when i played the first game, its all pretty basic stuff. I cant see a film about a faceless dull bloke in as suit being particularly interesting, it will probably be all cgi speciall effects and not much else. Now a game with a great story is Shenmue not that it needs a movie made of it, its just an example of something that has some emotion in it.
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Full creative control, big share of profits - shouldn't they just fund it themselves then?
Unlimited funds != knowhow. For the best example of that, see the xbox. It took them years to figure out the market and they finally seem to be learning. Slowly. Very, very slowly. I find it bloody amazing how XBL subscription fees, HD-DVD and Playstation 3 got stuffed into this comments section. Huh? Must be my ignore setting as ignorance is bliss. Have I ever mentioned that it's also the most stupid character name ever?! It's a rank, not a name. /nitpicking ftfuw. ;p Actually, I was initially in favour of a film when I read the first part of the original script (by the 28 days guy). That was just fantastic and it had everything to become a LotR epic story. When they changed it and released the comments by the new writer, they lost me. Either use the original script or don't bother at all. It just has Uwe Boll fuckup written all over it. |
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Nice to see some consensus on the weakness of the Halo 'universe'. I love Halo as a game, but there really isn't enough narrative depth to justify a movie. The story is crummy, and the master chief design is just...shit. To me it's a franchise that is succesful in spite of its art direction rather than because of it. I really can't see a movie doing it any favours, unless they re-do most aspects, which would no doubt rile the core audience.
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>It is? Oh, sorry... But then it's actually quite a silly rank IMO... ;)
Next time.. like actually... play the game. >The story is crummy, and the master chief design is just...shit MC is based on Spartans... you know ... the Greek warriors. Well I am sure ancient Greeks are TEH shit anyway.. you probably like crossdressing spiky hairded Japanese emo-goths with swords.
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kangarootoo
20/10/06 @ 14:34
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IMPORTANT PUBLIC SERICE ANNOUCEMENT.
If EVERYONE simply ignored killasouljah and his like, he would lose his purpose. Don't respond, not even slightly, not ever. Use the ignore button if you have to, but keep it zipped either way. This is the last I will ever write on the subject. |
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BrokenSymmetry
20/10/06 @ 14:36
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>It is? Oh, sorry... But then it's actually quite a silly rank IMO... ;)
In fact, "Master Chief" is an actual rank in the U.S. Navy: "Master Chief Petty Officer" is the highest enlisted rank in the U.S. Navy, and is commonly referred to simply as "Master Chief". |
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I find the commensts "MS can finish up the movie" hilarious.
The logistics of movie production are huge, they would need to set up a movie studio just for that and distribution is even worst with so many deals that have to be made ... in short, if they wanted to "do it on their own" they would have to really get into the movie industry. Sony will not pick up because MS ruled Sony out from the start ... if I remenber most studios pulled out because of the costs involved, I doubt they will find someone to pick it up. |
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Did you read my post? Of course Microsoft couldn't start the production "themselves"... like you said, the logistics aren't there. But that doesn't mean that they can't contract a studio, pay crews and shoot a movie, then distribute it. How many smaller production houses get to 3000+ wide releases in the US? Lots. There are 5/6 major studios that produce about 45-60 big-budget movies in a year, tops. Using their tech and simply paying for it is perfectly fine.
Fox and Universal pulled out of the financing and distribution. MS could foot the bill and see to it that Buena Vista gets it into theatres... for example. As for "outside" studio funding, Disney and Paramount are still there. If they could fund Mission Impossible 3, they can suck on Halo too. |
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"Whats Uwe Boll doing at the moment? /titter"
I realise you're just joking but chances are Mr. Boll's perpetuation of the old chesnut that 'video games = shit films' (rather than the more acurate 'Uwe Boll = shit films'), causes filmmakers to think twice about what and if to spend their precious pennies on video game based movies. |
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PearOfAnguish
20/10/06 @ 15:19
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I too am confused as to what is so special about Halo's story that justifies a big-budget movie. The only interesting aspect was the mysterious floating space world and that was ripped from countless other, better, sci-fi books and shows. Many of which deserve a proper adaptation more than Halo.
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MC is based on Spartans... you know ... the Greek warriors.
Well I am sure ancient Greeks are TEH shit anyway.. you probably like crossdressing spiky hairded Japanese emo-goths with swords. :D To me, the games appealed especially because of the art style. Especially the music. Imo, there are only a few other music directors in the games business that lvl with it (Jeremy Soule springs to mind among others). If EVERYONE simply ignored killasouljah Way ahead of you. ;p They could always approach Sony to distribute the film. You're gonna need Blu-Ray at some point to show off the 200 million worth of action. ¬_¬ Seriously, if you set up a trap, atleast cover it with a branch or something. ;) As for MS entering the film industry... Not likely, but then again, stranger things have happened. One of them is sitting under my telly. -_- Improbable but not impossible. |
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BartonFink
20/10/06 @ 15:30
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If EVERYONE simply ignored killasouljah and his like, he would lose his purpose. Don't respond, not even slightly, not ever. Use the ignore button if you have to, but keep it zipped either way.
Who? Oh. |
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