The last thing we heard on Halo was that Microsoft were talking to other studios after Universal and Fox pulled out of the project, and that pre-production was still being worked on at Peter Jackson’s WETA. Things were not moving on well at all, so a frustrated fan took things into his own hands. However, this fan was not your ordinary fan, this fan was a Hollywood writer. Stuart Beattie has worked on the Pirates of the Caribbean trilogy, and is the writer of upcoming G.I. Joe. According to Latino Review Beattie has written a ’spec script’ which is basically a script he didn’t get paid for and which he will be presenting to movie studios in the hope that it will get a greenlight. The title of the script is Halo: Fall of Reach and this is what is involves:

The script is, first and foremost, a character-driven story about a soldier named John who was kidnapped or “conscripted” by the UNSC when he was just six years old, and then brutally trained to become an elite Spartan warrior known as Master Chief 117.

The script then takes us through the horrific first contact with the Covenant hordes on the doomed colony world of Harvest, and then climaxes with the spectacular fall of the UNSC forward base on Reach, during which every other Spartan is slaughtered.

The script also gives detailed outlines for the second movie, HALO: RISE OF THE FLOOD, which takes place entirely on the Halo ringworld, and the third and final movie, HALO: BATTLE FOR EARTH, which roughly follows the events of Halo 3, the game.

One cool advantage of this first script is that (like the shark in JAWS) you don’t even see the Covenant until halfway through the movie. And because all the creatures are CGI creations, this cuts the budget down dramatically and makes a first Halo movie that much more viable. For Halo fans, it’s like the prequel that provides all the answers to questions they’ve thought about for years. For non Halo fans, it’s an exciting action movie that provides a clear, concise introduction to a world five hundred years in the future with relatable characters and a terrifying alien menace.

And there we have it. Lets hope people with power have a read and hopefully something will come out of it. Halo has been a massive success in the gaming world, so that could easily translate onto movie $$$. I personally have had little experience with the game. During my first twenty minute session I successfully managed to only damage the mountains, as my corpse was splatted across it. However, just because I am dire at the game doesn’t mean I am not interested in it. Neill Blomkamp, who was attached to directed before it all went down hill, made some cool short films that show he has what it takes to transfer Halo onto the big screen. Plus Peter Jackson is involved, so that isn’t exactly a bad thing, is it?