Is Spielberg’s ‘Halo’ a Blessing or a Curse?

Fans of the Halo series were massively disappointed when the Peter Jackson/Neill Blomkamp project fell apart (though we’re lucky the remnants evolved into District 9). I’ve been maintaining for some time that despite this, a Halo movie will clearly be made, as the industry rushes to adapt much less popular games into films. Halo is perhaps the king of them all, so a movie adaption is not only definite, it’s necessary.

I say necessary because it’s one of the few franchises that has the potential to be turned into a good movie. Something the video game industry has not seen so far. And the weight of the Halo name should be sure to attract some major players (like it did with Jackson) allowing the film to get the full resources it deserves to be good.

Well, I didn’t think my prediction would come true this soon, but it has. Steven Spielberg is looking into producing a feature length Halo film. Producing is a far cry from directing (the man produced Eagle Eye and look where that got us), but it is a big name attached to a big brand.

But the question is, is Spielberg the right man to be behind the ambitious project? You might argue that he’s suffered a slump in recent years, as he used to produce an endless stream of classics, and now is relegated to forgettable tripe like War of the Worlds and bastardizations of his old work like Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Does he have it in him to give Halo the kind of treatment it deserves?

I’m surprised to find myself saying yes. Halo would be a return to form for Spielberg, a larger than life tale of aliens and explosions, and I think if either he helmed it himself or found one of his capable friends to do it, a Halo movie would end up being a truly epic summer blockbuster. The Fall of Reach script by Stuart Beattie is supposed to be the golden prize that lured Spielberg to the project, and it goes without saying the man has an eye for hits.

So even though this project is still in its newborn stages, I’m excited at the prospect. I guess my question for you is, do you believe Spielberg is right for this? And if not, who do you think should lead Master Chief into the fray?

[via Eurogamer]