Yes, yes. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl writer Stuart Beattie loves Halo — so much so that he wrote a spec script based on Eric Nylund's book, Halo: The Fall of Reach. This isn't connected to the Peter Jackson Halo film project, which has since been killed. Beattie wrote the script between film projects on the hopes that someone somewhere will bring it to the silver screen. So far, it's apparently still only a spec, but Beattie now says he's in talks with Microsoft to get the picture made. As we've mentioned, the spec is based on the book The Fall of Reach. After the jump, the scribe lays out the script's plot in his own words:

Read More »

In case you missed it, our own Mr. Hollywood, John Gaudiosi, ran an excellent feature this morning on the Avrads, and their plans to start making video game movies that don't suck. If you haven't read it, it's good stuff, go read it. If only because Avrad gives the first details on the Uncharted movie project, which until now had only been hinted at.

When it comes to the big screen adventure, Arad said the plan is to mix things up a little bit. In the game, the action moves very quickly to the island, but the film will open things up a bit and add some depth before the island adventure.

So, more talking, more sexual tension, less gunplay. Avrad also stresses that Nathan Drake is not just another Indiana Jones clone, saying "Indiana Jones was always a good guy and he relentlessly did the right thing. Drake is a guy who's being hauled over to virtue throughout the game". The story should at least make for a half-decent popcorn flick, but wasn't the main appeal of the game the fact it already felt like a movie?

[The Man Behind Marvel Movie Magic Hopes To Do the Same For Gaming]

By John Gaudiosi

Hollywood Producer Avi Arad, 33, hopes the production studio he runs with his father, Avi (former head of Marvel Studios), Arad Productions, becomes the premiere home for game developers and publishers to work with. Having helped turn Marvel comic book franchises like Spider-Man and X-Men into blockbuster film franchises, Arad is now focused on doing the same for games.

Among the games he's bringing to the big screen as big-budget, studio tent pole films are Lost Planet, EverQuest, Mass Effect and Uncharted: Drake's Fortune. Arad attended E3 this year to announce that he is taking Capcom's hit Lost Planet game to the big screen with David Hayter writing the script and Warner Bros. distributing the picture.

"Lost Planet felt really original visually with the huge, snowy planet and the giant insects and the VF suits," said Arad, who's an avid gamer. "I really liked the art design, which made it look like a futuristic Jules Verne creation. There was also a lot of interesting story elements like Wayne, who's almost like a Top Gun pilot. You have a lot of different factions and everyone has a point-of-view. Some of the stuff we're working on with Eisenberg is really close to how he was in the game. But we have to make a credible argument of why he thinks he's right. Having spent a lot of time inside the game, I felt like there were a lot of characters I could build a story around."

Arad said he's played every one of BioWare's games over the years and he's had a great respect for the Edmonton-based game maker. When Mass Effect first came on the gaming radar two years ago he became very interested in it.

"Once I played the game, beyond this massive world, the story's almost structured like a spy movie like a Casino Royale or The Bourne Identity," said Arad. "You have this guy, the first human spectre, and he has all of this pressure on him to deliver for his species. Then he uncovers this plot that he has to chase down because he's a hero. I think that's a good central character for the movie."

Read More »

Someone at the Brand Licensing Expo Europe 2008 managed to catch this cam footage of somewhat less-than-eagerly anticipated film adaptation of the popular manga/anime/video game series Dragon Ball. As was expected, it looks relatively hideous, from Chow Yun-Fat's hideous costume to James Marsters reprising his role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer's Spike, who in turn tries to portray Lord Piccolo. Don't worry about the sound, there is none in this early preview trailer. Somehow I think we're better for it.

Dragonball Teaser Trailer [Trailer Addict - Thanks wwm0nkey!]

This guy! Brett Ratner! According to the man himself, a God of War movie adaptation is one of the projects he's currently working on alongside a new Beverly Hill Cop flick and [Unintelligible]. The director of the barely tolerable Rush Hour series and the miserable X-Men: The Last Stand says that the PlayStation hack and slash adventure-turned-movie is "waiting for the scripts and greenlights to come in" so don't start camping for your place in line just yet.

It already sounds better than that ill-conceived Guitar Hero movie adaptation, despite Mr. Ratner's track record. We're just interested to see how a game with this much violence and gratuitous nipple display will nab the much desired PG-13 rating.

Brett Ratner Making God of War Film: Confirmed [UGO]

Like most big Hollywood movies, the makers of the Dragonball flick are planning a video game... based on the movie. But there are already tons of good Dragonball games that are, you know, based on the anime/manga. Regardless! Twentieth Century Fox has a new Senior Vice President of New Media Licensing who's drawing up a list of Fox flicks that could turn into video games. Included in that list is apparently movies like the upcoming Avatar from James Cameron along with Dragonball from some dude. If you think actor Justin Chatwin looks strange as Goku just wait until he's mocap'd for your 3D gaming pleasure.

Fox taps THQ vet for video game post [Playthings via Dragonball - The Movie]

Following Variety's story early this morning that Zack Snyder, the man behind such films as The Dawn of the Dead and 300, has signed a deal with EA to make three games, comes the official announcement.

Filmmaker Snyder, whose latest project is the movie adaptation of Watchmen, will be working with EA Los Angeles, the same studio which worked with Steven Spielberg on Boom Blox. Under the agreement with Cruel & Unusual Film, EA will own the rights to the games which they will develop, publish and distribute worldwide. EA and Snyder will also work to "extend the game franchises into theatrical motion pictures."

"I think video games are cool because they offer an opportunity to tell a story in an entirely unique way, said Zack Snyder. "Being a long time fan of the games EA creates, I look forward to collaborating with them."

Frank Gibeau, President of EA Games Label said, "Zack Snyder has a fresh and bold creative style that resonates with our core audience. Zack is the perfect partner for joining us in creating powerful new interactive fiction."

Bill Murray and I have something in common. We're both excited about Ghostbusters. I may be more enthusiastic about the orphaned video game — which may have found a home at Atari — but Murray's role in that game seems to have lead to helping spark excitement for a third Ghostbusters movie.

Warner Bros are quite convinced that releasing an episodic downloadable Watchmen tie-in game is not only innovative, but actually rather brave.

"We know it's risky for us, and the safe move would have been to cram out a retail game alongside the film release," Senior VP Samantha Ryan told MCV, "but we didn't feel that was the right decision."

Surely the risk with Watchmen isn't the length of the game, the media it arrives in or how closely it aligns with the film's release.. it is the fact that Watchmen is such a beloved comic that fans are convinced it is going to stink up the place before seeing even a few pixels and will hunt you down, vigilante style if it is worse than they fear?

Warner: 'Watchmen release is industry first' [MCV]

You've every right to be! Game movies have, to the last, been truly awful. And since we haven't seen Max Payne, it's not out of the woods yet. But hey, you watch this trailer, you at least you know their heart's in the right place.