Halo Has a Director
Universal and 20th Century Fox have recruited a first-time feature director to oversee the sure-to-be-expensive big screen version of "Halo."
The studios have selected 26-year-old advertising and f/x savant Neill Blomkamp to direct "Halo," setting off a frenzy of online activity as fans of the bestselling Microsoft videogame rushed to sites like Google Video and YouTube.com to track down Blomkamp's collected works.
I’ll be honest. I’ve never heard of the guy. I’m also surprised that the movie studios would back such an unknown with such an expensive and fanboy project.
After doing a little research I figured out that I am familiar with a commercial that Blomkamp filmed. Does anyone remember the semi-recent commercial of a car driving on a frozen lake and it transforms into a giant robot? It was a Citroen ad and he directed it.
I guess this is promising in the sense that he is familiar with using fancy-looking special affects. But that doesn’t mean he can handle developing Master Chief’s character as a bad ass or handling the dramatic aspects of the movie.
A good sign is that Alex Garland, writer and director of “28 days later,” wrote the screenplay that Blomkamp will be filming. Though a part of me wonders why the studios didn’t have Garland direct. At least he has more credibility.
Principal photography for “Halo” will happen sometime next year with a release date of Summer 2008.