ROTTEN TOMATOES: Del Toro Torn Between "Hell" and a "Halo"

Del Toro Torn Between "Hell" and a "Halo"

by Scott Weinberg | December 09, 2005

It was news-gossiped about just a few days ago, but Empire Online was able to get the word straight from Guillermo del Toro's mouth: He has been in talks to direct the movie version of "Halo," but it seems that his "Hellboy 2" might manage to cause some scheduling problems.

"On the one hand, he is raring to go on "Hellboy 2," the sequel to last year’s cracking comic book adaptation, starring Ron Perlman as the red-skinned, demonic, wisecracking paranormal investigator.

The original made just under $100 million worldwide, but has done very well on DVD, prompting Sony Revolution to allow him and producers Lloyd Levin and Larry Gordon to develop a sequel. “It’s going really good,” says del Toro, who’s completed a script. “It’s about the fairy world and the mythical creatures all rebelling against humanity and saying it’s the end of mankind and it’s the season for the sons of the Earth. And basically Hellboy has to try to repress or suppress that rebellion.”

Sounds good. Perlman and the rest of the original cast – including Selma Blair, Doug Jones, David Hyde-Pierce and Rupert Evans – are all coming back, while Hellboy creator Mike Mignola is also on board. “He should be reading the screenplay right now,” laughed Guillermo.

But – and it’s a big but – Hellboy 2 is still awaiting the big greenlight, before filming can take place (partially in the UK, fact fans). “We’re budgeting,” said del Toro. “I’m very much looking forward to it. I wanna do it. It’s still on the front burner, but it’s all about budget.”

On the back burner, but very much in Guillermo’s thinking, is Halo, a game that, with its fully realised alien worlds and bizarre creatures, is after del Toro’s own heart.

“Well, Halo is very much an interesting project because it’s so full of monsters,” he said. “It’s a big temptation. I’m in talks with them [Universal and Bungie Films] and (producer) Peter (Jackson), but it’s not true that it’s on and Hellboy’s off. Hellboy’s on. If everything goes as planned, Hellboy will go.”

An avid gamer, del Toro has been a big fan of Halo for some time. “Most of the time games don’t have an universe or creatures that interest me enough. And this one does. Master Chief [Halo’s mysterious hero] is such an iconic character and it’s very much a sort of a good version of [Hellboy villain] Kroenen.”"
--

For more of Mr. del Toro's thoughts on "Halo" and "Hellboy 2," check out the interview over at Empire Online.

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(1-20 of 37 posts) | Reply

dylan21484nj writes:
on Dec 09 2005 02:39 AM

all i can say is, "meh."

(Reply to this)

elziard writes:
on Dec 09 2005 07:24 AM

for a self proclaimed uber-fan, del toro did a crap job of remaining faithful to the source in the first installment. and shame on mignola for allowing that to happen. i can understand wanting to refine your earlier work, but the choices made no sense and complicated and confused a rather straightforward story.
del toro and mignola are NOT rodriguez and frank miller; that team did a superb job of translating from source to film.
why write something that fans cannot love as an adaption, then submit to Mignola for review?
Writers: "Mike, we thought we could write something better than you created already in the past 10 years. no one wants to see nazis and godesses and aliens like the ones you've created and are well loved"
Mike: "Ok. how about you write something new and i'll collect the check and watch my series integrity flush down to toilet."
Writers: "That's where most of the crap we write ends up anyway."

however, since they did such a poor job of adapting what was already there, then this may NOT be a bad thing.

(Reply to this)

TortillaSoup writes:
on Dec 09 2005 09:30 AM

wow...I really dont even want this guy directing THE Halo Movie...

(Reply to this)

notimpressed writes:
on Dec 09 2005 11:40 AM

[b]Aw, come on[/b]
Del Toro did make the best Blade movie...

(Reply to this)

PrecentorEpsilonXVI writes:
on Dec 09 2005 12:01 PM

In reply to this comment (#828684)
...and this is a good thing?

I have two issues with what Del Toro had to say.

#1 - "Halo is full of monsters..." No. Halo is not full of monsters. Halo is full of sentient alien beings. Monsters eat people and roar alot. Sentient aliens speak to each other, plan strategies, run like little babies when their friends are killed, and rebel against their own society. They think and feel. Monsters don't. If Del Toro thinks he's going to turn Halo into a bug hunt, then he shouldn't be directing this film.

#2 - "Master chief is like a good version of Kroenen." I don't see this either. Master chief is not an unthinking automaton. He even speaks! They are different characters. Kroenen is a killing machine with no personality, while MC is an iconic action hero. If he makes MC a good version of Kroenen, the character will be lost.

It seems like Del Toro is going about the Halo movie in a sort of, "well, if I have too..." sort of attitude that doesn't make me feel all that confident in his excitement over this project.

(Reply to this)

lilegs86 writes:
on Dec 09 2005 12:38 PM

Peter Jackson has announced that Del Toro is NOT directing.

http://www.gamespot.com/xbox360/action/halo3/news.html?sid=6140812

All I can say is thank goodness. Hellboy sucked, and every single blade was terrible.

(Reply to this)

Movie Prelude writes:
on Dec 09 2005 01:09 PM

thank good, Del Toro is just another Michael Bay wantabe

Peter Jackson is on a role, it might be pretty good if he's involved

(Reply to this)

mizzoucritic writes:
on Dec 09 2005 02:43 PM

That gamespot article did not say that Del Toro is not directing. It said that no director had been chosen yet. Read your articles more closely.

Anyway, since I'm already posting, I enjoyed Hellboy (even if it wasn't close to the source material) and I wouldn't mind if del Toro directed. If he has Jackson's creative help and a great visual effects team, then I have faith that this will be the best video game film ever.

I bet del Toro will get the Halo contract and he'll make it after he's done directing Hellboy 2.

(Reply to this)

el seth writes:
on Dec 09 2005 04:17 PM

In reply to this comment (#828685)
Re: "Halo is full of monsters..." What you have to remeber is that Del Toro considered Hellboy himself to be a monster. So I don't think there's any worry there.

(Reply to this)

hippiekiller writes:
on Dec 09 2005 05:18 PM

In reply to this comment (#828685)
shut up fucking video game nerd. halo's story sucked ass, it doesnt fucking matter what they do with the source material as long as theres explosions and shit. and hellboy sucked ass too.

(Reply to this)

jeremyd4 writes:
on Dec 09 2005 07:21 PM

[b]Why do we need a Halo movie?[/b]
Everyone seems to love the game so much like its some holy artifact. I say, it was just fun to play with cool graphics - that's it! It doesn't have the greatest story ever... it's unoriginal and it's nothing we haven't seen in thousands of other games. In fact, there are bazillions of other games out there with awesome stories and atmospheres that would make fantastic movies but it always seems the shit ones or in this case worldwide sellers (with no plot) get picked for the jump to screen.

(Reply to this)

TheBoutCommittee writes:
on Dec 09 2005 08:48 PM

[b]NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!![/b]
Halo was a landmark in video game history! PLEASE DONT RUIN IT BY MAKING A CRAPPY MOVIE OUT OF IT WITH A CRAPPY DIRECTOR THAT MAKES CRAPPY MOVIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PPPPPPPLLLLEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSSSEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Reply to this)

TheBoutCommittee writes:
on Dec 09 2005 08:54 PM

In reply to this comment (#828690)
[b]lol[/b]
Hahahaha, a movie nerd just called someone a video game nerd.. haa :P

(Reply to this)

Rock_The_Luau writes:
on Dec 09 2005 09:41 PM

del Toro did a good job with Hellboy, and I'm very looking forward to the sequel. And I think all you fanboys can stop bitching about this whole ordeal, because he's making Hellboy 2, whether you like it or not, and unless they get someone like Spielberg to direct Halo, it's probably gonna be a heap.

(Reply to this)

PrecentorEpsilonXVI writes:
on Dec 10 2005 08:03 AM

I'm looking forward to the next Hellboy movie too. I just don't think Del Toro is enthusiastic enough about the Halo project, and I don't think he has the right vision about the characters.

As for being a video game nerd, well, that may be. Most video games have less room for intricate plot lines and character development because they want to add in gameplay. It really is a different medium. That does not mean that the story and feel of a game can't be accurately converted to a movie. It just takes a good director (something comic books have been able to find, but videogames haven't yet).

I've been a big fan of Bungie's games ever since Marathon. They have managed to work in plot into FPS since the days of Doom. I don't want to see their best game so far be turned into a mockery of itself.

(Reply to this)

scottybarkbark writes:
on Dec 10 2005 09:42 AM

get ridley scott to direct halo

(Reply to this)

Callpacas writes:
on Dec 10 2005 10:57 AM

there had only been 2 iterations of halo, so just how faithful any movie can be to the game franchise without it turning out to be just another hollow wollup of FX and action?

you would need a real protaganist in the film and Master Chief from the game just can't make it. he had no emotional attachment, no feelings, no reason to fight other...he's just a hollow shell of a suit. Who's going to watch a film where the guy is in helmet all the time? the film's going to be such a drastic departure from the game that the only thing familiar would be the title name.....( if they are planning in something better than a popcorn film)

(Reply to this)

Biggestgeekever writes:
on Dec 10 2005 11:09 AM

I like Del Toro, but if he isn't enthusiastic about directing Halo, he shouldn't direct it. He should do Hellboy 2 instead.

(Reply to this)

saiyajinX writes:
on Dec 10 2005 12:50 PM

[b]This will all suck!![/b]
Very few games are ever turned into great...dare I say even good films! The video game/movie turnover ratio is awfull. Halo is a great iconic game...but no matter the director/producer/company this will never produce a great film...or even a good one. Jackson is a great film icon, but no matter the effort I cannot see how this will turn out good for anyone. Halo fans will be pissed if it sucks. Halo freaks wont care and say they had a good time. Movie fans will have an action packed snooze fest. Everyone esle wont give a flying...well you get the point. Somone please prove me wrong with good honest references to the gaming/movie genre!!!

(Reply to this)

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