Halo Movie Would Have Lacked Faces

[Greg Tito]

Halo Movie Would Have Lacked Faces

Producer opted for Nathan Drake and Solid Snake over Master Chief.

The highly publicized possibility for a Halo movie could have been a big hit. The franchise sold like hotcakes in the Oughts, and a sci-fi action movie would have a lot of material to draw on, but producer Avi Arad and former head of Marvel Studios eventually passed on the potentially lucrative IP. Not even Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/93447-No-More-Halo-for-Peter-Jackson] could pull it off. That didn't stop Arad from checking out more videogame properties, and he's snatched up Uncharted, Metal Gear Solid, Infamous and more, betting on videogame movies shedding their stigma to eventually sell better than films based on comic books. But the movies have to have a character an audience can relate to.

"My problem with the Halo games was that there was no face anywhere," said Arad, producer of The Amazing Spider-Man reboot. "I didn't know what to do with it. I thought about it a lot, because commercially it was huge. But when I look at things like Metal Gear Solid and I'm reading the bible for it, and there's this Cain and Abel story and all this shit, I'm like, 'Now, that is a movie!'"

Arad is sure Uncharted will be the start of a great movie franchise. "Uncharted was very natural, because it's about historical things." he said. "Emotionally, there was a very simple story about a boy searching for something, who had no origin, in a way. He was a street rat. And just like my mother used to tell me that 500 years ago we were princes in another country, someone told [Nathan Drake] something that he could hold on to. That makes for enough emotion to make a fun story."

Will Nathan Drake translate to the silver screen? "I think what will happen with Uncharted is that it will be the first of many, because it will be so fun and [I think it will be] a very big movie," Arad said. "The floodgates will open."

Just please hire Nathan Fillion already. [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/111896-Nathan-Fillion-Wants-You-to-Stop-Pestering-the-Uncharted-Director]

Source: IFC [http://www.ifc.com/fix/2012/06/uncharted-movie-halo-avi-arad]


Permalink

 

[AstylahAthrys]

343 needs to drop the "No showing the Chief's face" thing. We know what he looks like. It was in the comics, and though only parts of his face were revealed at a time, we've seen all of it. The books have described it. There's no mystery. It's pointless at this point.

 

[ivc392]

A movie about Uncharted would be feel like a movie of a game of an Indiana Jones film... not saying that a Metal Gear film would be any better. With such a convoluted cannon I don't think anyone could condensed the story successfully for a Hollywood blockbuster.

 

[jbigboote]

there are plenty of faces in the Halo universe, even in the games. I think a Halo move could work either way (showing Master Chief's face or not). I think the Uncharted games are just easier to make into movies in general, because they basically are movies already (as an Uncharted fan, I mean that in the best possible way).

 

[Absolutionis]

People play Uncharted for the story and the setpiece moments. It gained its fame on these heavily (but not alone). Uncharted is also very character driven with contrived reasons why all the characters meet up.

Metal Gear is arguably similar. It's extremely character-driven to the point of being convoluted and nonsensical. However, it's still character driven and thus has a story that follows.

Halo was played originally for being the only acceptable game on the original XBox and then the nostalgia to follow. It's the gameplay that drives people to the franchise. The concept of Master Chief as an anonymous and being devoid of personality makes him essentially the player. YOU are Master Chief whereas you are CONTROLLING Drake or Snake.

Seems like a sensible choice overall.

 

[Eric Morales]

Make a movie about Metal Gear Solid or Uncharted?

A movie that apes a game that apes a movie. All we need is for them to make a tie in game of THAT and the ouroboros will be complete.

 

[Greg Tito]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

Sorry man, I have no idea what you're talking about. Whatever it is, I'm sorry?

Greg

 

[Teddy Roosevelt]

Didn't the books describe what John's face looks like? It's not necessarily an important secret. I just never held it against Bungie because he just looked cooler with his complete armor.

Of course there is that and the fact that John-117 obviously has a personality, but when in the games is there time to show it? The point of Halo is, I think, while he is the hero in a very real way, the story is not decided by anything that he is in particular, aside from brave, of course. He isn't supposed to win the war through compassion or anything, he is just a soldier caught in the middle of the war like anyone else, and happens to be the only one capable of striking those most vital targets to win.

Bottom line, I don't think there would have been an issue with either showing his face or fleshing out his personality.

 

[JPArbiter]

WOW, either he did not read much into Halo at all or he was not given the proper materiels...

then again Halo's story is complete trope anyway, so no need to get to much in a bind over it.

 

[Eri]

I'll believe a good video game movie can exist when I see it.

 

[Sis]

You already have the face to sustain the franchise, guys. He's the sexy bastard called Johnson.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

Care about what, exactly? You've made a vague comment, which doesn't help us identify the issue, which implies all you want to do is complain about the problem rather than actually fix it.

 

[TheSapphireKnight]

Oh good. I am glad this guy didn't do it because he is clearly an idiot. Doing a direct adaptation of the games is never going to work. A story in the same universe is as close as you can get.

It funny the article mentions Nathan Fillion because him reprising his role as Buck and following that group of characters would be a much better direction to go.

The issue with doing a Halo movie in your typical Hollywood fashion is that unless you get people who know what they are talking about to make the pitch to these executives it will never work. Producers like the guy above would be the downfall of any potential Halo Movie. I feel that MS has been smart to not just rush it out to make a quick buck and are waiting until all their ducks in a row. It didn't work out with Peter Jackson or Neil Blomkampf(However the hell you spell it), then we will wait for someone like them who knows what they are doing.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

Care about what, exactly? You've made a vague comment, which doesn't help us identify the issue, which implies all you want to do is complain about the problem rather than actually fix it.

I'm assuming about connecting threads to articles, as that's what he was referencing. Whilst it does seem to be complaining for the sake of it, there was nothing vague to me.

OT: No, there will probably never be a good video game to movie adaptation, there is too many differences in the medium.
They should start by picking a good game story to adapt, rather than some standard tripe.

 

[Susan Arendt]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

Care about what, exactly? You've made a vague comment, which doesn't help us identify the issue, which implies all you want to do is complain about the problem rather than actually fix it.

I'm assuming about connecting threads to articles, as that's what he was referencing. Whilst it does seem to be complaining for the sake of it, there was nothing vague to me.

While I suppose it could be implied that the second one was for this post, what was the first? And what specifically was the issue? We obviously want to fix things when they go wrong, but we can't do much without information.

 

[JokerboyJordan]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

Care about what, exactly? You've made a vague comment, which doesn't help us identify the issue, which implies all you want to do is complain about the problem rather than actually fix it.

I'm assuming about connecting threads to articles, as that's what he was referencing. Whilst it does seem to be complaining for the sake of it, there was nothing vague to me.

While I suppose it could be implied that the second one was for this post, what was the first? And what specifically was the issue? We obviously want to fix things when they go wrong, but we can't do much without information.

When clicking the "comments" part underneath the article, it showed an error.
And I must say it was the 2nd time it had happened to me today as well, so it's not specifically down to him.

 

[Bobic]

343 needs to drop the "No showing the Chief's face" thing. We know what he looks like. It was in the comics, and though only parts of his face were revealed at a time, we've seen all of it. The books have described it. There's no mystery. It's pointless at this point.

Yes, but you need to think about who is included in that 'we've seen all of it'. I'm pretty sure it's only a small subset of those who have played a halo game or will buy Halo 4 and see a potential movie that have read the comics and books. And to those that haven't, it's still a mystery, and one that is infinitely more interesting than 'oh, it's some guy'. Like Pulp Fiction's briefcase or the name of the Layer Cake dude.

OT: This guy's argument is a bit daft. Is there any character that doesn't show off his/her/its face that isn't Masterchief in Masterchief's Halo story (I'm talking about the games here)?
But still, he could always have just had the guy wander around without his helmet on for a bit, if he thought it was incredibly necessary. Sure, it may have annoyed some fanboys, but when has a videogame movie not annoyed some of the more ardent fans?

 

[WanderingFool]

Second time for thread connect fail today for you mister Tito and third for the site overall. You guys don't care anymore do you?

343 needs to drop the "No showing the Chief's face" thing. We know what he looks like. It was in the comics, and though only parts of his face were revealed at a time, we've seen all of it. The books have described it. There's no mystery. It's pointless at this point.

But if they give him a face he might be expected to give him...

*GASP*

a personality!

And God forbid he utters more than seven lines a game...