HOME TRAILERS RELEASE DATES PODCAST REVIEWS POSTERS INTERVIEWS MOVIE NEWS ABOUT US APPS FSnetwork

LATEST NEWS

Stuart Beattie Wrote His Own Halo Script to Sell!

by Alex Billington
April 1, 2008
Source: Latino Review

Apparently screenwriter Stuart Beattie has been doing a lot more than writing scripts for G.I. Joe or Gears of War. Latino Review reports that Beattie has decided to write a spec script on his own titled Halo: Fall of Reach, which is based on the novel of the same name. They assure us that this is not April Fools banter and is 100% legit. The Halo movie has been on hold for quite some time without any major updates and apparently Beattie is a big fan himself. Big enough that he decided to take matters into his own hand and write a script in the hopes of getting things moving.

The novel which his script is loosely based on is titled Halo: Fall of Reach and was written by Eric Nylund and actually published in 2001. A spec script is one that a screenwriter writes on their own time to sell after already being written. Typically writers like Beattie are commissioned from the start to write a script from scratch, like he was for G.I. Joe and Gears of War. But this time Beattie was such a fan and wanted to encourage the movie to get made that he wrote this on his own. Now that is some true dedication!

Latino Review's source also provided them with some details on the story contained within the script. Take what you read below with a grain of salt. Although Beattie writing a spec script seems fairly legit, we can't fully confirm all of these details below.

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.

I'm loving this idea so far and I'm really hoping it's completely true. I think every last Halo player out there has been waiting to see this movie finally coming together. And seeing Neill Blomkamp's Halo shorts was even more encouragement. Unfortunately there are some stubborn execs in Hollywood who don't understand the capacity for a Halo movie to succeed, and thankfully even Beattie saw that!

Hopefully this script, which I'm guessing is incredible thanks to the passion that Beattie put into it, will actually get this high profile project on track again. And hopefully those shorts that Blomkamp made were enough proof that he can handle a big budget (and a Halo movie, for that matter, but we all knew that). This movie needs to get made and we all know what needs to be done for it to turn out amazing. So far there is a script, now it just needs to get signed.

Pin It

Related categories: Hype, Movie News, Rumors

Nick

I loved all the Halo books, so this is good news to hear that the first movie may be adapted off the first book in the series. It gives a good background to the history of the Spartans and how they came to be. I'm definately more excited now about a possible Halo movie then I was before.
Curtis

not to big of a fan of halo but would love to see it done into a movie, would be epic if done correctly and not just another shit video game movie.
Brad

Halo is terribly, terribly overrated. There isn't much about it that can translate well into a film.
http://www.firstshowing.net Alex Billington

Fixed Brad. Can you elaborate any more? It's one of the most vivid and expansive futuristic gaming universes created. There is a LOT that could translate well. Did you even play the campaign mode of Halo 3?
steve

Brad, you are an ass and deserve to have your genes removed from the gene pool. Halo is an incredible story, and if done properly would probably make star wars look like pooh. Just shut your mouth and stick to your weak as playstation....you chump.
Ian Kazimer

Halo's decent. I think it could make a cool movie, but I'm more into a Gears adaptation. As far as the books go, however, 'Fall of Reach' might be good, but 'Flood' sucked so hard I didn't even finish the trilogy.
Brad

#5 Thanks for making me laugh, you can always tell a blind fanboy by the way he immediately results to immature insults. I happen to live in a 360, Wii and PC household. Again, thanks for the laugh, I needed it. Show some class before you comment next and realise i'm entitled to an opinion - not unnecessary abuse. Alex: Thanks for the fix. Now, here's why I think Halo is overrated: It's a story about laughable alien invaders and a super soldier with a gruff voice. It's an absolute generic sci-fi story and one big cliche. I -have- played through all of Halo 1, 2 and 3. Leaving the fact that as games they're highly repetative and basic alone, the story is just unoriginal dribble and there is nothing remotely deep about it's characters. Entertaining perhaps when you feel the need to suppress all usage of that wonderful thing called the brain, but original, deep and meaningful it is not. Is that enough reason? Because I can go on for hours.
Steven

Hey Brad, read the fuckin' book you retard. Beattie's script will be based on Fall of Reach. Now if you don't know that there is actually a much larger story and a build for the character of Master Chief in the books, then I suggest you go drink a glass of shut the fuck up.
Sanzee

Ok, the reason why Bungie is making Halo: Reach is to get the concept popular before a movie is made. Once a game is made about it, it will then have enough status (like Halo CE, Halo 2, & Halo 3) to be made into a movie. Since there have been NO games about the Fall of Reach, only novels, Fox was worried that making a prequel to the Halo games wouldn't bring in enough money to cover the 250 million dollar budget set for the film. Once Halo: Reach comes out, everyone will know the story and love it, giving Fox a reason to begin production, guaranteeing a profit in the end. Sad that's it all about the money, but that's the way the world works. Halo: Reach (Game) » Halo: Fall of Reach (Film)