Last month, we learned that Steven Spielberg himself was in negotiations to pick up the dead Halo movie project and develop it himself (Read: A Beacon Of Hope Emerges For The D.O.A. “˜Halo’ Movie & Its Name Is Steven Spielberg). Whether this means the movie will ever finally be made or not remains to be seen, but it is exciting for those who are dying to see this happen. We first got a glimpse of what a movie version of the mega-hit game would look like when District 9 director Neil Blomkamp filmed his own live-action version as a promo for Halo 3, but unfortunately, a huge estimated movie budget killed that project off. Now, fittingly, for the release of the spinoff game Halo ODST, a new director in Rupert Sanders has made yet another live-action promo, and it looks pretty fantastic.
Blomkamp proved that a budget was really no issue if you spend your money wisely — he made District 9 look like it cost $115 Million when in fact it only ran $30 Million. Before Spielberg got involved, Blomkamp said that if the Halo movie did indeed come back to his table he would probably turn it down, so the question became “Who else could do it?” This is a question that apparently Rupert Sanders thinks he has the answer to.
Click on over to see both Blomkamp and Sanders’ live-action Halo shorts, and choose who you would rather helm the movie if it ever happens.
I personally love both of these videos; both are intense and raw and not nearly as colorful as the games were, as I would imagine it would be. The new video from Sanders actually has a Battlestar Galactica feel to me, which is pretty cool, too.
One more thing: let us not forget that Spielberg and Peter Jackson — who was set to produce the Halo movie — are currently working together on a trilogy of Tintin movies, so who knows what might be going on behind the scenes there!
Here are the videos. The new one from Sanders is first, then you can check out Blomkamp’s below that one. Share your thoughts below: we want to know whose style would you prefer to see directing the prospective live-action Halo movie!
Videos
[Source: via /Film]
You know the film will be made. It is only a matter of time.
Comment by Joseph — September 5, 2009 @ 7:29 pm
That ODST spot gave me chills. Wow. Let whomever directed that do the feature.
Comment by Dee — September 5, 2009 @ 7:55 pm
they should team up and it would make one hell of a film
Comment by Tanner — September 6, 2009 @ 12:35 am
Sander’s ODST live action short is incredibly awesome! Once it’s straight into the action you know you’ve done the right thing by watching it! Compared to Blomkamps after having seen district 9, and no affence to anyone who liked the movie, I was just a little disappointed with how real the Aliens came across as compared to the scene in his trailer – interviewing an alien from district 9 – where it just looked so real. All in all the two would probably make an awesome duo in making the halo film, I personally like Sander’s live action film better.
Comment by Camacazi — September 6, 2009 @ 3:21 am
Actually… I’d like to have Blomkamp and Sander’s both do a live action scene each with possibly an Elite and maybe a Grunt or a Jackal or a Hunter in there somewhere, cause all we’re getting from these live action shorts is how they’re bringing the Brutes to life and leaving out the rest…
Comment by Camacazi — September 6, 2009 @ 3:29 am
um…there was definitely an elite in the sander’s live action
Comment by thejuggalo — September 6, 2009 @ 3:09 pm
I say Sanders did a better job.
Comment by J — September 7, 2009 @ 12:39 am
This comparison is not fair. Neil Blomkamp and Peter Jackson did 3 Halo shorts. The one posted above plus 2 live action ones. The one above does not show any action and is a little boring. The Rupert Sanders one is good, but the live action Neil Blomkamp ones are much better in my opinion:
Heres the youtube clip
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Wfm5KFjDXQ
Comment by Craig — September 8, 2009 @ 3:45 pm
I certainly feel that Sanders did the better job. The extended version is almost a minute longer and adds so much more to it still. It stopped me dead while i was playing some pool and I had to watch it to find out what it was. As soon as I saw it (the extended version as a commercial on tv) I knew there had to be something tied to a possible movie with this. It was amazing and makes me super excited to see the idea of the movie taking off again and I really hope they can get one made. I’m okay with waiting as long as they do it right.
Comment by dev — September 9, 2009 @ 10:48 am
Sanders’ is more authentic. Blomkamp’s is MUCH more entertaining. I think the two should team up.
Comment by h3ll0 — September 9, 2009 @ 11:46 pm
While Sanders had a far better melodramatic feeling to his piece, Bloomkamp is definitely the better choice for fx and action directing. Sanders fx looked cheap and followed more along the lines of Starship Troopers. My vote is for Bloomkamp. 100%
Comment by bls — September 18, 2009 @ 3:05 am
I want to know why Blomkamp said he would turn HALO down at this point. It would be an amazing opportunity for him and he has proved that he has the skill to do it.
Sanders directed a nice little promo there, but I haven’t seen him make a movie… especially not one that I would regard as one of the best science fiction movies of the decade.
Comment by Silas — September 27, 2009 @ 9:08 pm
Visually, I enjoyed Sanders’ version much more, although we didn’t get to see what his style of direction in action sequences really is, which would be important in a movie like this.
I enjoyed the look of Blomkamp’s a lot less, but it was still well directed and very true to the game, which I think is important to a lot of us gamers.
I would be happy if either one directed the Halo movie, to be honest.
Comment by Anon — October 8, 2009 @ 3:30 pm