Halo Director Announced!

[spenser.d]

Newsflash:

Halo Director Announced

Are you busy in the summer of 2008? Because someone, somewhere, is getting in line right now to buy a ticket to the motion picture adaptation of Halo?. This exciting project, which will be produced by geek gods and Academy Award? winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh under their WingNut Films banner for Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox, has finally announced a director.

The Halo motion picture will be helmed by Neill Blomkamp, making his feature film debut. Blomkamp is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and original artists currently working in short films and commercial advertising. Halo will be distributed domestically by Universal and internationally by Fox. Visual effects, miniatures, and creature design and creation will all be handled by Jackson's award-winning Weta Digital Ltd. and Weta Workshop, Ltd., most recently known for their Oscar-worthy work on The Lord of the Rings films.

A native of South Africa, Blomkamp directed the acclaimed 2005 short film, Alive in Joburg, that depicted a future in which extraterrestrials have become refugees. Last year, Blomkamp also received three Clio Awards and a Visual Effects Society Award for his television commercial Citroen-Alive with Technology. In 2004, Blomkamp was recognized as "One of the Top Five Directors to Watch" at the First Boards Awards and was a featured artist at the Saatchi & Saatchi New Directors Showcase at Cannes. He has also been nominated for an Emmy award for his work on an episode of James Cameron's Dark Angel.

Mary Parent, Scott Stuber and Peter Schlessel will produce Halo. The film is currently targeted for a Summer 2008 worldwide release. Halo will be shot in Wellington, New Zealand, and will make use of the full range of Jackson's state-of-the-art production and post-production facilities there, including Weta, Stone Street Studios, and Park Road Post.

"As a gaming fan, I'm excited to bring Halo's premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today's technology can provide," said Jackson. "Fran and I are intrigued by the unique challenges this project offers, and we're delighted to be working again with our friends at Universal, and with our new ones at Fox and Microsoft. With Neill on board, I'm even more excited by the potential of this project."

Source

Neill Blomkamp

If you go here http://www.spyentertainment.com/director_03.html and click on 'View Reel', and then click his name on the right side, you can view some of his previous stuff. He did the short film 'Alive in Joberg', the Robotic 'Tetra Vaal', and a lot of adverts, including the 'Transformer' Citroen ad.

I'm looking forward to Summer 08.

-Spenser

Edited August 9, 2006 by stifler6478

[XerXis]

thank god it's not Uwe Boll

[spenser.d]

^^^Too true.

-Spenser

[Sniper101]

Nice info hope Halo becomes one amazing film with him behind the helm :D

[SoCalledChaos]

stifler, you know that your sig pic is spelled incorrectly right? and that its supposed to say, but why is the rum all gone right?

[SouthWest]

I believe this guy did this:

Alive in Joburg

High-res version (slow as hell): www.archive.org/details/ALIVE_IN_JOBURG

[PL_ Veteran]

stifler, you know that your sig pic is spelled incorrectly right? and that its supposed to say, but why is the rum all gone right?

It's a joke... :rolleyes:

It's a jab at PS3's lack of rumble.

[Riz360]

stifler, you know that your sig pic is spelled incorrectly right? and that its supposed to say, but why is the rum all gone right?

Sony PS3 reference...

and YAY! Peter Jackson!

[SoCalledChaos]

gotcha, didnt know :p , good joke tho heheh

[icecaveman]

Could be worse although I was expecting something better.

The only thing I worry about Halo is internationally it will be released on Blu-Ray, the format supported by Microsoft's nemesis and not HD-DVD. Please make the HD-DVD release region free Universal!

[spenser.d]

^^^ Where do you get that from? A DVD release is SO far off. Heck, Blu-ray or HD-DVD might fail and that would make the decision easy. Or they might just both be out there, and then they'd just press to both discs. I'm pretty sure they haven't said any details on a DVD release.

-Spenser

[magik]

... something tells me this movie is gonna suck :(

[icecaveman]

^ what does? Just because they didn't get an established director?

[magik]

^ what does? Just because they didn't get an established director?

Well mainly because game-to-movie adaptations usually do, but yes, also because they didn't get an established director. I mean, the man hasn't even made a full-length film before.

[Pajter]

Bungie has full creative control over this movie. It can't go wrong.

That, and Peter Jackson and WETA are involved...

[spenser.d]

After looking through what this guy has done, I'm pretty excited to see what this movie turns into.

-Spenser

[magik]

After looking through what this guy has done, I'm pretty excited to see what this movie turns into.

-Spenser

True, his short films seem pretty well done, but a full length feature film is a whole 'nother can of worms.

[spenser.d]

Yep. And in another tidbit - aintitcool has already done an interview with Neill. Very excellent read.

http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=24139

-Spenser

[Matrix XII]

Everyone starts big somewhere Magik, by the looks of it, this guy could do quite well.

[magik]

Everyone starts big somewhere Magik, by the looks of it, this guy could do quite well.

Agreed, hope so! :yes:

[halcyoncmdr]

Well mainly because game-to-movie adaptations usually do, but yes, also because they didn't get an established director. I mean, the man hasn't even made a full-length film before.

Had you ever even heard of Bungie before Halo came out? My guess is no, most people hadn't simply because they were only making games for the mac, which had a very small user base compared to PCs. Halo was their first big release to a mass market, it is the same with Neill. Many have never heard of him because he has only done small movies and ads without a very large viewing base.

I feel that Bungie doesn't want this thing to fall flat, and if that were happening they would rather just stop production entirely, or find a new director. I have confidence in them that they will make this an outstanding movie. Besides, what did Steven Spielberg start with hmm, not exactly the great man he is now right?

[magik]

Had you ever even heard of Bungie before Halo came out? My guess is no, most people hadn't simply because they were only making games for the mac, which had a very small user base compared to PCs. Halo was their first big release to a mass market, it is the same with Neill. Many have never heard of him because he has only done small movies and ads without a very large viewing base.

I feel that Bungie doesn't want this thing to fall flat, and if that were happening they would rather just stop production entirely, or find a new director. I have confidence in them that they will make this an outstanding movie. Besides, what did Steven Spielberg start with hmm, not exactly the great man he is now right?

I understand your logic, but there are a few flaws in it.

Fair enough, any director has to start somewhere, right? Yes, but this isn't just any movie really, this is a game-to-film adaption that is on an incredibly large scale. Also, comparing him to Steven Spielberg doesn't do much since Steven Spielberg directed several TV Episodes before moving to full-length films.

That being said, however, he does have Weta and Peter Jackson along with him, so inexperience is covered and shouldn't be a problem. In the end, I think Bungie/Microsoft made a good decision in getting a potential 'up-and-coming' director and teaming him up with some very successful and experienced producers. :)