I'm writing a screenplay that I intend to pitch once finished, but as a serious fan of the universe of HALO, I want to ask others where they would prefer to see the adaptation begin.
I intend on maintaining loyalty to the story that was created by the founders (BUNGIE STUDIOS); and I personally thought it would only be right to start off a film franchise of such caliber where the franchise itself began for all of us: Combat Evolved (2001). However, some friends think it may be best to begin way way way back before the events in Combat Evolved or even long before John-117 was even born, back in the year 2291 when humans finally made a working slipspace DRIVE and began colonizing planets in neighboring stars. Or perhaps begin with First Contact being made on Harvest. What would you prefer if a film franchise began? Where would you be interested to see such a series start?
| Posted by SPARTAN-047 on December 22, 2022 at 20:43. |
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The fundamental question is, what story do you want to tell? The history of the Halo universe can receive an infinite number of stories if careful attention is paid to where ends meet and if additions strictly follow realism within established lore.
It would be ill-advised to approach either a single film or a trilogy as a visual history of Halo. You cannot possibly convey all aspects of the universe in a two-hour format, and you would be hard pressed to convince a studio, major or independent, to fund anything larger. What meaningful addition(s) can you make within the scope of a single story that has the ability to entertain both as a stand-alone feature and as the inception of a greater work?
If your ambition is for a series of films, do not write your first film with the expectation of a second. Your story must be coherent within a single experience; it must be profitable to appease the studio, and both narratively faithful and innovative to appease the fans. In addressing narrative fidelity, you may be dead on arrival in approaching 343 Industries to approve this story under the aforesaid creative direction. Their Paramount+ series is neither performing well nor has it been well received, but 343 is contractually obligated to it. A Bungie-exclusive film to conflict with the already non-canon Paramount+ series and excite the fanbase away from all of the 343 canon material?
In truth, your story must be a breakout masterpiece to warrant any attention, from suits, from moviegoers, or from us. Halo fans are spent on conflicting and dispirited storylines.
In my opinion, one of the best additions to an existing beloved franchise in recent history was the inverse of your ambition: a video game contributing to a film franchise. Alien: Isolation (2014), developed by Creative Assembly, was a masterfully-written, seamless experience within the Alien universe. No retcons necessary, no loose ends produced other than the open ending, it was perfectly slotted into the timeline with love and attention to detail. Reportedly, from development interviews, Twentieth Century Fox was very supportive of the effort—perhaps for the reputation of the studio—in providing terabytes of original concept art, music, and set photos on which Creative Assembly modeled their game. It was a love letter, a tribute to the original film while existing as its own story.
When Alien: Isolation looks into the mirror, like its protagonist, we see the face of the original in the new. This was the narrative disappointment with Halo 4 and Halo 5.
Posted by Scribe on January 8, 2023 at 09:30.
Edited by Scribe on January 9, 2023 at 06:00. |
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