- last post: 01.01.0001 12:00 AM PDT
Why consider a movie when the Halo franchise hasn't even peaked yet? If MS/Bungie know already that Halo 2 will be the last of the franchise, then yes, it *might* make sense to negotiate now with the studios and explore it's potential. But Hollywood generally doesn't want to make a movie (especially an effects-laden movie such as this which demands a budget of 100 million+) unless they've got a certain measure of control - that means casting, script, director, you name it. In this Hollywood game, the likes of Staten and Jones gets pushed to the sideline in a hurry. And that's the awful truth, because I do work in Hollywood and I see it happen all the time.
The truth is...
The Xbox is starting to deliver an experience that's bigger than the movies. If you're paying for Xbox live, shelling out $49 for every new release, and then spending all your free time playing your favorite game (Halo 2?) and not watching TV or going to the movies, then Microsoft has already won you over.
The question here is, can Microsoft use movies to appeal (and sell) to a wider audience?
If the movie is a stinker, then the $100 million+ plus enterprise will sabotage future potential of the franchise. End of story.
Then, secondarily, you've got to look at it from a creative standpoint - will the movie "story" step on the toes of the video game "story" - will it ruin the characters? If we come out of the movie thinking that Master Chief is a wimp, chances are, that will decrease our enjoyment of the game. We start looking at the game (and all future incarnations of the game) in terms of the movie - and if it's a bad movie, then it's bad for the franchise.
If it's a great movie (there's always THAT possibility, even WITH Vin Diesel) then you've got the problem where there will be enormous pressure on Bungie to make the next Halo game "just like the movie" - as a sequel to the movie, or with the celebrity voices of the movie - you name it. Trust me, the last thing Bungie wants is to be hamstrug to a creative direction dictated by a Movie that got hijacked a studio or big name producer or name actor.
So this is all a delicate balancing act. I honestly hope we don't see a movie anytime soon.
But I'd leave the door open in the future, when Halo 3 is being developed for Xbox 2, or Xbox 3 - or heck, by that time we'll be watching movies on the Xbox in Hi-Def, downloaded directly from MS on our big-ass plasma TVs.