Microsoft: 'There will be a Halo movie'

In a discussion with the New York Videogame Critics Circle,Microsoft's franchise lead Frank O'Connorspoke emphatically about thestudio's intentions to resurrect Halo's Hollywood adaptation, and that it would even consider putting up the cash itself to see it happen.

%26ldquo;There will be a Halo movie,%26rdquo; said O'Connor. %26ldquo;We don%26rsquo;t need a movie. But we%26rsquo;d like a movie. We%26rsquo;d like the moms of gamers to see the movies because they would love our characters. Maybe we%26rsquo;ll even fund it ourselves.%26rdquo;

Earlier this year,it appeared as though a Halo movie was all set to shoot (for real) with names like Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson reportedly pegged for the project. According to O'Connor, that particularinitiative crumbled under the weight of studio scrutiny, licensing issues and an overall apprehension about the film's profit potential.%26ldquo;It was the lawyers,%26rdquo; he said.

The climate has changed and O'Connor believes that the world is ready to buy into a full-length, live-action Halo movie. When asked who he could see behind the director's chair, O'Connor said he's open to suggestions, and wouldn't interfere with a director's vision:%26ldquo;If Danny Boyle wants to make a Danny Boyle-style movie, that%26rsquo;s great. Let Danny Boyle be Danny Boyle. We would not constrain a director.%26rdquo;

Touching on other franchising opportunities, O'Connor also stated his desire to see Halo's mythology tackled in episodic fashion, saying, %26ldquo;We%26rsquo;d love to see Halo as a television series. Look what HBO did with Band of Brothers or even Rome. Something like that would work because the Halo universe is so vast.%26rdquo;

True, but then Band of Brothers and Rome were based on real events. Like, on Earth. What do you think? Is the Halo story meaty enough for the big screen, let alone prime-time?

Nov 23, 2010

[Source: New York Videogame Critics Circle]

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