April 1, 2008By: El Mayimbe
Source: Anonymous

EL MAYIMBE AQUI…THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL’S JOKE!

I REPEAT THIS IS NOT AN APRIL FOOL’S JOKE!  I SHIT YOU NOT!

A LATINOREVIEW EXCLUSIVE!

All has been quiet on the HALO movie front lately.  Last we heard, the Halo movie came together with Bungie, Peter Jackson, producer Scott Stuber, Fox, and Universal. The script went through at least three writers. I did the first script review of Alex Garland’s draft then D.B. Weiss came aboard, and most recently Josh Olson.  Neil Blomkampf was hired to direct and did direct several great Halo short films. But then the plug was pulled last summer and the movie has been in a holding pattern ever since.

Till now…

In an effort to get the ball rolling again, I just learned that big time G.I. JOE screenwriter STUART BEATTIE has written a spec screenplay called HALO: FALL OF REACH, and it’s based on the best selling novel of the same name by Eric Nylund.

I hear Beattie is a huge Halo fan, and like most Halo fans, has been frustrated at the progress for HALO to reach the silver screen…

…so Stuart took action and did something about it on his own in between writing assignments.

A spec screenplay is when you write a script on your own without being paid a dime for it in the hopes that it could sell hence “spec” or “speculative.”

Stuart is in that top tier of professional screenwriters that get “commissioned” by studios to write scripts.  The top screenwriters don’t spec nor need to spec anymore.  They get the big money paying gigs.  Stuart was commissioned to write SPY HUNTER, SPLINTER CELL, and GEARS OF WAR for various studios.  His G.I. JOE script is the one that got Paramount to greenlight the $170 million dollar movie which is shooting now. 

HALO: FALL OF REACH is a labor of love by Beattie in the hopes of finally getting the movie made.

So what is the script about?  Below is what my source tells me…

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.So there you have it folks!  If there is anyone at Microsoft or Bungie reading this, call CAA, get the damn script and at least take a read!  You guys certainly have nothing to lose by taking a look because the guy’s track record speaks for itself. 

If you’re a HALO fan, harass Microsoft to take action because from what I gathered here in Hollywood, unfortunately the guys that are seriously cock blocking the HALO movie from getting made are those control freaks at Microsoft.

Again what does Microsoft have to lose by taking a look at a script written by a big time Hollywood screenwriter who decided to take a crack at HALO on his own?

Nada!

We will be following this story closely as more develops !

 We tracked down some data on the achievements that have been completed by folks whose 360s are connected to Xbox Live. Here’s some data for folks to chew on:

• Campaign Complete: Normal – Completed the Campaign on Normal Difficulty: 43.28%
• Campaign Complete: Legendary – Completed the Campaign on Legendary Difficulty: 15.14%
• Graduate: Graduated from basic training. Stick with it to earn your Spartan insignia: 66.92%
• UNSC Spartan: Promoted to Sergeant. Proven in combat, you are a Spartan: 52.07%
• The most found metagame skull? Black Eye skull with 34.26%
• The least found metagame skull? Tilt at 22.98% (Go find it, jerks! It’s one of the best skulls in the game!)
• At 6.21%, Steppin’ Razor is the hardest multiplayer Achievement to earn, with Two for One right behind it at 6.77% and Overkill nipping at its heels (6.75%)
• 8.68% of players have unlocked the Marathon Man Achievement
• 1000/1000 Gamerscore: 2.07%

   The full soundtrack for Halo 3 will be in shops later this month, which is about as surprising as doing your teeth.

Officially the US will get it on 20th November, while retailer Amazon believes we will have it on 26th November. Microsoft Europe was unavailable to comment, helpfully

The two-hour soundtrack contains some really rather impressive music from Martin O’Donnell and Michael Salvatori, which has been recorded by a full orchestra and voices of real people who can sing.

It is one of the most memorable scores from one of this year’s biggest games, and we had a chance to talk to O’Donnell about it at the Videogames Live concert held recently as a part of the London Games Festival.

Pop over to our Halo 3: Music To Watch Armageddon By article to find out more

                                                                                                                                                                                         Microsoft has announced that it will soon offer downloadable Xbox titles including Halo and Psychonauts as part of a new “Xbox Originals” campaign, as well as free Xbox Live Arcade titles in celebration of the previously announced fifth anniversary of the Xbox Live service.

November 15th marks the five year point of the service, and and company has said that, “as a gesture of thanks to the gaming community,” all Xbox Live gamers will get one free Xbox Live Arcade game, as well as 500 free Microsoft Points for all members who joined the service at its start in 2002.

More interestingly, the company has announced that with its latest Xbox Live update launching December 4th, Microsoft will kick off a new “Xbox Originals” campaign that will see the release of downloadable games for 1200 Points ($15) each.

Thus far confirmed titles include Halo, Psychonauts, Crimson Skies: High Road to Revenge and Fable, with “a growing catalog of Xbox games to download and own over the coming year.”

Said Live, software and services vice president John Schappert, “In just five short years, Xbox LIVE has revolutionized the way friends and family have fun in the living room. On its fifth birthday, Xbox LIVE truly is the place for hanging out with friends and enjoying downloadable TV shows, movies, videos, game add-ons and now downloadable Xbox games on demand.”