G.I. Joe movie scribe talks up Halo adaptation
Remember Stuart Beattie, the guy who wrote the first Pirates of the Caribbean film and made some waves with a new Halo adaptation -- based on The Fall of Reach -- including concept art? Now Beattie is making the rounds to promote his latest screenplay, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, and has put his Halo script back in the news, telling Sci Fi Wire of his efforts to get the movie into production. Beattie has been shopping his screenplay around Hollywood, and has sent copies to both Microsoft and 20th Century Fox, which was to develop Peter Jackson's Halo film before it was put on indefinite hold.
Beattie seems passionate about the project -- he claims to have read all the Halo books and played all the games -- though he says he's not ready to actually direct the project, at least not yet. "Maybe in a few years," he says, noting that if his next film, Tomorrow, When the War Began, is successful, he might get the chance to direct the Halo movie. He does note, however, that he'd be happy to see anyone direct the film and doesn't want to "stand in the way of it getting made."
Beattie believes that there haven't been any great video game adaptations thus far because those involved with them haven't been passionate about games. A fine sentiment, sure, but let's not forget that the Silent Hill film was supposedly a labor of love for both the writer and director, and we all know how that turned out. Still, we hope Beattie's script gets some attention. After all, if he can successfully adapt a theme park ride, we're sure he can handle a video game.
Beattie seems passionate about the project -- he claims to have read all the Halo books and played all the games -- though he says he's not ready to actually direct the project, at least not yet. "Maybe in a few years," he says, noting that if his next film, Tomorrow, When the War Began, is successful, he might get the chance to direct the Halo movie. He does note, however, that he'd be happy to see anyone direct the film and doesn't want to "stand in the way of it getting made."
Beattie believes that there haven't been any great video game adaptations thus far because those involved with them haven't been passionate about games. A fine sentiment, sure, but let's not forget that the Silent Hill film was supposedly a labor of love for both the writer and director, and we all know how that turned out. Still, we hope Beattie's script gets some attention. After all, if he can successfully adapt a theme park ride, we're sure he can handle a video game.







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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Captain Planet @ Jul 17th 2009 5:35PM
I don't think I want my Halo movie done by the guy who has Marlon Wayans playing Ripcord.
WINterfang @ Jul 17th 2009 5:54PM
Marlon wayans is a good actor, he can be serious from time to time.
Jason Statham (Aka Vegeta) @ Jul 17th 2009 6:10PM
See Requiem for a Dream.
Captain Planet @ Jul 17th 2009 6:22PM
It has little to do with Wayans' acting ability, but rather the fact that he shouldn't have been Ripcord in the first place. That's like having Joseph Gordon-Levitt playing Cobra Commander.
Oh, wait...
Batzarro @ Jul 20th 2009 10:58AM
I think he only WROTE G.I.Joe.
NwrksBigBoss @ Jul 17th 2009 5:39PM
I thought that the Silent Hill movie was great. Its a masterpiece compared to any other video game movie.
WINterfang @ Jul 17th 2009 5:56PM
I loooooved the Silent Hill movie, it was a nice to see other things apart from serial killers.
Dr. steve brule @ Jul 17th 2009 6:16PM
i liked everything but the ending. or the main bad guy thing, i cant remember exactly what all happened but it had something to do with a hospital room and some guy that shot chains or barbed wire out.
M. Dizzy @ Jul 19th 2009 3:29PM
I actually loved the Silent Hill movie. And they did give a reason for them going to Silent Hill. Her daughter kept sleepwalking and yelling about the place in her dream. If you spent more time actually watching the movie instead of obsessing over "the scantily clad actress" you would have seen this.
HitNRun @ Jul 17th 2009 5:41PM
Considering that the G.I. Joe movie seems to be a modern-day adaptation of Halo, I don't think this would be too hard.
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 5:51PM
yeah it's exactly like halo, only they took out the aliens, the spaceships, the genetically altered super soldiers, the future setting, the Halos, and just about everything else that made halo halo. How is this a "modern" adaptation anyway? Halo's only 8 years old, now 80
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:00PM
wayne, GI Joe does have genetically-altered super soldiers. a ton on the cobra side.
drumwiz86 @ Jul 17th 2009 6:10PM
fail nobra!
Smak @ Jul 17th 2009 6:16PM
/facepalm @ TheDarkWayne
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 9:02PM
but the super soldiers are evil this time, and the Delta 6 suits are just too fucking stupid to be compared to Mjolnir suits. Thanks for facepalming at me smak, now i know exactly what your qualms with my argument were
HitNRun @ Jul 18th 2009 2:18AM
Not modern as opposed to 2000. Modern as opposed to 2525. Capice?
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 5:42PM
I doubt it will do well, there hasn't really been a successful game-to-movie. Though I will reserve my thoughts later on.
Spartan @ Jul 17th 2009 5:46PM
I still think the first mortal kombat was true to the game and well done (for a game-movie)
WINterfang @ Jul 17th 2009 5:57PM
What about Pokemon?
Spartan @ Jul 17th 2009 6:16PM
Lol @ fang.
We're talking about movies that were acted by real people.
If we were just talking about animation then we would be discussing the excellent classics like street fighter the animated movie. And the Pokemons, et cetera.
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 6:20PM
Well Mortal Konmat was good in kind of chessy way, which is kind of matches the game in its realism(?).
And Pokemon isn't based on game, silly!
Snowblind @ Jul 17th 2009 5:47PM
The Fall of Reach story was great, and would have been perfect for a movie, if done right. But now they're doing a game based on it, I doubt a movie would have the same impact.
EGOvoruhk @ Jul 17th 2009 5:49PM
Is this guy delusional? Does he really think Microsoft is going to take the movie out of Peter Jackson's hands, and give it to the guy that raped our childhoods...er I mean wrote GI Joe?
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 5:50PM
GI Joe will undoubtedly be the worst movie of the year. Dont let this guy anywhere near a Halo movie.
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 5:54PM
I remember seeing a commercial for the movie, and it played like this really crappy sounding song, it just sounded horrible.
Then and there is where I knew the movie would be bad.
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:01PM
yeah, i facepalm every time i see the ad. it's ridiculous.
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 6:03PM
I don't think it will be the absolute worst movie of the year. I think Roland Emmerich has a movie coming out this year which I'm sure will find a way to be worse.
Jason Statham (Aka Vegeta) @ Jul 17th 2009 6:13PM
Jeez. even worse than Transformers? It's gotta be pretty terrible to be worse than anything Michael Bay has directed.
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:21PM
vegeta, it's possible that it's worse. at least transformers had megan fox...
ArchiGamer [thephilosophyofgames.wordpress.com] @ Jul 17th 2009 6:23PM
But it also had Shia....
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 6:24PM
Well, Transformers was okay, because it had great special effects and Megan Fox. However, G.I. Joe has terrible looking special effects and a very noticeble lack of Megan Fox.
The Dark Wayne @ Jul 17th 2009 9:00PM
transformers also kept to what transformers was, whereas GI Joe replaces the best soldiers of america who were proud to serve their nation, where the new movie is an international squad and duke is just some north texas douchebag football player who gets wrangled into GI Joe cause he's a fucking loser
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 17th 2009 10:20PM
I'll just interrupt to say something about Transformers 2.
I must admit Megan fox and Shia LaBeouf have talent, think about it in this movie humans were insufferable (Let alone the atrocious comedy) if they had replaced those actors for let's say the guys from twilight I would have asked for a refund.
The CGI was great and it was more like the cartoon this time but honestly I prefer the original, the second movie had way too many comic relief characters and very bad ones by the way.
About G.I Joe early reviews say is bad, cancer bad and that it might end in a cliffhanger accordign to the book (io9)
Guinea Rabbit @ Jul 17th 2009 11:32PM
@leroy_octopus: I think Roland Emmerich and Michael Bay will definitely be competing for this year's Worst Movie of the Year.
The G.I. Joe flick probably won't be far behind them.
maveric101 @ Jul 18th 2009 12:01AM
whatever guys i loved T2. as for this guy, i think Bungie would be relatively involved in the development, so no director is going to be able to really screw it up. i think that was why the first project got scrapped; the studios (FOX) wanted more control over the movie.
Ballistic H @ Jul 17th 2009 5:52PM
Advice: Don't ever bring any ideas to 20th Century Fox!
Ballistic H @ Jul 17th 2009 5:55PM
Oh, and GI Joe looks like crap.
iSwarm @ Jul 17th 2009 5:56PM
This guy is going to destroy G.I. Joe someone better stop him before he destroys Halo to!!!
WINterfang @ Jul 17th 2009 5:58PM
G.I.Joe was destroyed long ago and who knows it may be a bigger surprise than Star Trek.
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:02PM
WINterfang, have you seen the ad? HAVE YOU SEEN WHAT THEY DID TO COBRA COMMANDER?!
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:04PM
in case you haven't, here you go. http://geekwhisperin.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/032509_cobracommander.jpg
as compared to the earlier ones: http://api.ning.com/files/D*42V5aRehUdc0uNh7V1dzywUI-GOvfEc7TcFH7WiFYdVNneHkwgholQ36icujYS1taL2XSi9xEpHd99JS5SokChF7uPRoJC/cobra_commander.jpg
and:
http://www.cobraclan-et.com/images/Fullview_COBRA_COMMANDER.png
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 6:08PM
WINterfang
How was Star Trek a suprise? It was the ressurrection of a classic francise done by a proven director. G.I. Joe on the other hand is made by the guy that did The Mummy.
Manly Mcbeefington (Mr. ESC) @ Jul 17th 2009 10:30PM
Start Trek was better than what I expected but only a few movies this year have been memorable.
Coraline,Up and Public enemies IMO.
Ice Age 3 was okay
I'm still undecided if I actually liked Xmen origins Wolverine,I don't know if it was because I had my expectatives on the ground but I think Xmen 3 and Spiderman 3 were worse than Wolverine.
Shadsy @ Jul 17th 2009 5:57PM
Someone got their hands on an early treatment of G.I. Joe, and apparently it's immensely lazy. The plot is centered around nanobots that literally do anything the plot requires them to. He shouldn't be allowed to handle Halo, which is already overly-complicated enough despite it having a really simple premise. Just let Blomkamp do it.
Dr. steve brule @ Jul 17th 2009 6:13PM
i agree, however district 9 looks like its sorta in the same vein
Leroy_Octopus @ Jul 17th 2009 5:59PM
Damn you Fox!! Just let Peter Jackson and Neil Blomkamp make the movie!!
oOWallaceOo @ Jul 17th 2009 6:14PM
Once District 9 owns this summer Fox will spend whatever Blomkamp and Jackson need to make the Halo Movie
Doc @ Jul 17th 2009 6:01PM
Wait, he did both Pirates and G.I.Joe? Geez, talk about apples and oranges. Yeah, anyone that puts G.I.Joe characters into "power suits" just lost any credibility he had from making Pirates in the first place.
Sly @ Jul 17th 2009 6:06PM
the power suits don't bother me as much as cobra commander's "makeover". at least they didn't change snake eyes (as far as what i can tell).
Ballistic H @ Jul 17th 2009 6:09PM
The look is good, but the acting, we'll see. They originally wanted to have Snake Eyes talk. And he might.