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DreamWorks Wants to Make a Halo Movie Not Based on Halo


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To answer the obvious question, they want to base it on one of the Halo novels based on the universe of the game, written by such luminaries as… I don’t know. I’ve never paid attention to any of the seven or so Halo novels, because like any right thinking person, novels based on videogames are usually crap at best. Obviously, I haven’t read the novels personally, so maybe they’re brilliant and moving, a Great Gatsby of our times but with Warthogs and sticky grenades, but I’ve also never heard of anyone saying the books were any better the normal cheap-o book tie-in.

So why is Dreamworks doing this? apparently, it’s because the Halo rights are caught in a massive legal clusterfuck between Fox and Universal, who co-owned the rights back when Peter Jackson and/or Neil Blomkamp were rumored to be directing. Specifically, they owned the rights to the games — and if DreamWorks wanted to make a movie based on the game, they’d have to deal with/sort out/pay a large sum to Fox and Universal. Fox and Universal didn’t option the Halo novels, because even they’re not that insane, meaning DreamWorks can skip all legal bullshit by making a movie of one of the books instead.

Result: DreamWorks will make a Halo movie, it will be based on one of the books, it will be shitty, neither fans nor mass audiences will be pleased, and a real Halo movie will be set back at least 5 years, but possibly forever. Fun! (Via FilmDrunk)