ROTTEN TOMATOES: Denzel as "Halo" Master Chief?

Denzel as "Halo" Master Chief?

by Scott Weinberg | July 14, 2006

Sometimes a rumor's so flimsy you have to ignore it, and sometimes a rumor's too juicy to dismiss. This one falls in the latter category: Could Denzel Washington be in line to star as the heroic Master Chief in (producer) Peter Jackson's "Halo" adaptation?

The compelling piece of speculation comes from Dark Horizons by way of IGN FilmForce: "Oscar winner Denzel Washington is rumored to be up for the role of "Master Chief" in Fox/Universal's film version of the Microsoft/Bungie videogame sensation "Halo." That's according to the Dark Horizons movie news website.

The site did not cite a source for the rumor, which comes on the heels of the news reported earlier this month by the Associated Press that Washington had met with filmmaker Peter Jackson in New Zealand to discuss working together. "Halo" was scripted by Alex Garland. There is no director set yet for the project, although Guillermo Del Toro has been rumored for the job."

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(1-20 of 41 posts) | Reply

dylan21484nj writes:
on Jul 14 2006 10:33 AM

whoa...that's one hell of a rumor. Denzel as M.C. would definitely bring some much-needed class to the film, especially for a movie in the maligned video game movie genre. my only concern is that Master Chief wears that helmet all the time. if they have him take his helmet off in the movie, then Denzel would be a fine Master Chief. but if they don't take the mask off, you can pretty much put anyone in the costume and no one would know the difference, Denzel or not.

(Reply to this)

mofojoe85 writes:
on Jul 14 2006 10:51 AM

They should just do what George Lucas did with Darth Vader...get someone to mimic the master chief's movements in the suit and just use whoever did the voice in the video game as the voice of master chief.

(Reply to this)

tyler8186 writes:
on Jul 14 2006 11:18 AM

oh my god... that would be awesome

(Reply to this)

PrecentorEpsilonXVI writes:
on Jul 14 2006 12:31 PM

Too short. But if they do the darth vader thing, then... I suppose he has my concent. ;)

(Reply to this)

MooNWalkeR writes:
on Jul 14 2006 04:45 PM

this doesnt really work for me...could it be he is actually up for the role of Sarge??? It doesnt make sense for him to be MC.

(Reply to this)

IMAmoose24 writes:
on Jul 14 2006 05:00 PM

Sam Jackson should be up for the role of sarge. He's perfect for it. Yells alot, thinks too much of himself. He's a perfect fit! As for Washington being the chief, thats one thing that could go either way for me. It's either going to work very well, or be a horrible casting choice.

(Reply to this)

killthemall4444 writes:
on Jul 14 2006 05:33 PM

Denzel as Chief would not work plain and simple. Oh and Sam Jackson would be perfect as Sarge.

(Reply to this)

Dr.Zoidberg writes:
on Jul 14 2006 07:04 PM

i think thats a poor choice im actually thinking
keifer sutherland for his voice but i unno
however the best casting that can be done is Halle Berry as cortana

(Reply to this)

PrecentorEpsilonXVI writes:
on Jul 14 2006 07:33 PM

In reply to this comment (#840219)
Uh... no.

(Reply to this)

TheIceGhost writes:
on Jul 14 2006 09:37 PM

Yeah I kinda pictured them to go the Vader/Wilson Wilson (from Home Improvement) route personally, perhaps showing glimpses of his face but never the whole thing (back of the head, shadows, etc. etc). Sam would be good for Sarge but my only concern would be that he might be a little too "clean" for it. Denzel is okay, def. brings some pop to the roster and make it more marketable, but then it becomes "that videogame movie with Denzel in it"...is that a good thing or not? I dunno, but it does bring up an interesting point, a point that this film probably does need a few "big name" actors to get great press, but who out there is any good for these roles? I just don't know...

(Reply to this)

kalabus writes:
on Jul 15 2006 02:45 AM

[b]This is what I think about Denzel in this role[/b]
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
N N
o / \ \ / \ o
o| | \ | | o
o| `. | | : o
o` | | \| | o
o \ | / / \\\ --__ \\ : o
o \ \/ _--~~ ~--__| \ | o
o \ \_-~ ~-_\ | o
o \_ \ _.--------.______\| | o
o \ \______// _ ___ _ (_(__> \ | o
o \ . C ___) ______ (_(____> | / o
o /\ | C ____)/ \ (_____> |_/ o
o / /\| C_____) | (___> / \ o
o | ( _C_____)\______/ // _/ / \ o
o | \ |__ \\_________// (__/ | o
o | \ \____) `---- --' | *
o | \_ ___\ /_ _/ | o
o | / | | \ | o
o | | / \ \ | o
o | / / | | \ |o
o | / / \__/\___/ |
o | / / | | | o
o | | | | | |o
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

(Reply to this)

GoldenGoat writes:
on Jul 15 2006 03:39 AM

What the hell was that supposed to be? ASCII art of an inkblot?

Anyway, I like the idea. Sure, Washington doesn't sound much like his in-game counterpart, but he's versatile enough to play most any role and he would bring real credibility to the film in a genre that desperately needs it.

About the idea of having the voice actor from the games doing the acting ... not a great idea. While his voice work is adequete for the occasional cutscene, nothing I heard during the games makes me think much about how much range he might have as an actor. I always thought his voice was a little uninspired; he basically has a very vanilla interpretation on what you'd expect a badass cyborg to sound like. It works for the games, but for a feature film where you'd expect to hear a bit more from MC, I would much rather hear from someone I know could really deliver the lines well.

Now, as to the likelyhood that this rumor is actually TRUE ... not holding my breath. :)

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Jul 15 2006 01:09 PM

Topher Grace should be Master Chief. What do you mean he's too scrawny? He's playing Venom for christ's sake. You see, there are much worse casting decisions going on everyday than Denzel being the Chief. Thank god for that

(Reply to this)

piscesdreams writes:
on Jul 15 2006 02:25 PM

Love Denzel, and he would make an excellent addition to the cast, but not as Master Chief. Denzel would make the perfect Sarge.

M.C. is supposed to be over 7 feet tall, and weigh a cool 1/2 ton in the armor. I just don't see Denzel pulling that off. I agree with mofojoe. Use the same voice actor and get someone that looks like a hulk to wear the suit. Which means that I also hope that M.C. doesn't take off his helmet; unless it follows the halo 1/pre-halo 1 story.

And I don't know about anyone else but I think Kate Beckinsale would be a PERFECT Cortana.
...please god not Halle Berry. At no point in Halo does Cortana get raped by Billy Bob Thorton, dress up in a latex catsuit,or drive the Pillar of Autumn while intoxicated. Therefore the movie would be better off without Ms. Berry.

(Reply to this)

Satoris writes:
on Jul 15 2006 04:58 PM

Once again, a black man will voice a helmeted icon.

(Reply to this)

r3plicat3 writes:
on Jul 15 2006 08:16 PM

[b]Master Chief[/b]
I say get Michael Clark Duncan to wear the suit, and do the voice over as they did with Darth Vader. Hes the man, Hes the size (roughly) and it will rock

(Reply to this)

Zach Houchins writes:
on Jul 15 2006 09:04 PM

uh, i could be wrong but im pretty damn sure i heard that MC would be CGI so u can all calm down about big guys wairing the suit

(Reply to this)

StickyKiwi writes:
on Jul 16 2006 11:48 AM

I thought Denzel was interested in Peter Jackson's CGI department, WetaWorks, and that was why the 2 had been meeting .... no?

(Reply to this)

Grotesque writes:
on Jul 16 2006 05:40 PM

I knew Master Chief was black...I had this feeling playing the Halo games that he was. That's cool! I hope Denzel is playing the man in the suit.

(Reply to this)

Master King Sexington writes:
on Jul 16 2006 06:29 PM

In reply to this comment (#840230)
Master Chief was actually white buddy. Read the books. It even says it there. His name is John.

(Reply to this)

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