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DreamWorks reportedly wants to revive the game-to-film.

Some very exciting news today, gamers. Steven Spielberg and his DreamWorks studio are reportedly trying to obtain the screen rights to make a Halo movie!

The New York Magazine movie blog Vulture claims that, in an effort to avoid getting drawn into a legal quagmire with previous Halo studios Universal and Fox, DreamWorks is looking to use the Halo novel tie-ins as the source material for a revived film.

That way, neither Fox nor Universal can sue them claiming they're owed money from DreamWorks for capitalizing on all the money the studios spent developing their joint film adaptation of the bestselling game imploded back in 2006.

As Vulture reports, "that residual anger over the wasted money is the big reason why DreamWorks is so explicitly saying its project is based on the books: By citing 'different' source material, it preemptively neutralizes any attempt by Universal lawyers to demand that the new studio reimburse its $12 million in development costs. Oh, you were doing a movie on that Halo? Yeah, we're doing something else entirely. More literary. Another helpful side effect of using the books is that it appeases Microsoft, which authorizes them all; it shows them that DreamWorks takes the canon seriously (even if the process ends with a completely original script). [Former Universal Pictures chairman Stacey] Snider, who declined to comment for this story, is now CEO of DreamWorks, and knows from her days ushering Halo through Universal the importance of keeping Microsoft happy."

The site adds that no screenwriter has been set yet, but reminds us that Pirates of the Caribbean and G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra screenwriter Stuart Beattie penned a spec script adaptation of the novel Halo: The Fall of Reach back during the writers' strike of '07. Hmmmm.

However, as Vulture points out, there's plenty of reason to think that Microsoft doesn't really want a Halo movie, even with the likes of Oscar winner Spielberg involved, because they don't want to muck with their $2 billion brand. But if there's anyone who might be able to appease them, it's Steven Spielberg.

An avid gamer, Spielberg's name has been associated with the Halo movie in the past. Rumors swirled last year that Spielberg was smitten with Beattie's spec, but then Microsoft issued a statement tossing a bucket of cold water on that fanboy firestorm. We'll have to wait and see if things have changed since then.

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wtf?!

really ?

I sure hope so. Here's a bit more info I found.

Could DreamWorks Make Halo Movie a Reality?

With Halo: Reach proving to be a predictably massive success, raking in over $200 million and counting, the timing for a Halo movie couldn't be better. However, since the project being mired in development hell at Fox and Universal, a movie adaptation is wrapped in plenty of legal red tape that could be tricky to negotiate. However, Steven Spielberg's DreamWorks studio might have the answer.

DreamWorks' solution could be to use the Halo novelisations as source material instead, potentially sidestepping a legal minefield, while still being able to bring Master Chief to the big screen. This would also mean that the studio could avoid having to pay Fox and Universal a return on the money they ploughed into developing the Halo movie, only for it to be ultimately wasted.

Originally, Fox and Universal's Halo movie would have featured an original script from Alex Garland, and would have been produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Neill Blomkamp, but it was brought to a halt and the production broke down, leading to Jackson and Blomkamp going on to make District 9 instead. However, there's currently no-one attached to DreamWork's adaptation and there's no scriptwriter at present, although Halo novel writer Stuart Beattie has penned a script based on the 'Fall Of Reach' book, which he wrote on spec and sent to Microsoft.

"My long-term goal is to get three Halo movies (based on three novelisations) made." said Beattie. "It’s not something I can accomplish tomorrow. But if I can help, I am glad to do it."

If DreamWorks can get a movie based upon the Halo novels into production, Beattie's plan could have legs, although a source on entertainment news site Vulture notes that Microsoft might not be so keen to send its precious Halo franchise into multiplexes: "It’s a gigantic waste of time, because (Microsoft) doesn’t want anything to happen in any other media that could screw up a multi-billion dollar franchise. Somebody has to be in control of a movie; it’s a director’s medium. But they’re completely averse to that. Because if Steven Spielberg ****s it up, what’s your recourse? So the rule is: 'First, do no harm.'"

It seems we haven't heard the last about a Halo movie yet then, but can DreamWorks pull it off and finally bring Halo to life on the big screen? We certainly hope so.

[Via x360a.org]

Halo movie? The only good Game that turned into a movie was Resident evil. Nothing could be better or actually be a good movie.

a Halo movie would be sweet

Those movies were terrible.

Also, I hope they don't do this directly off the game, but more loosely based in the same world.

omg Dreamworks? -____-

Halo is bit boring imo

Meh, I'm not sure that this would be a good idea. Every film made from a game isn't good. Hitman was okay at that. I like Spielberg films and he could make this a good film, but it would be a huge gamble on whether the gamers would like it.