Hollywood is still working very hard to try and make the first truly greatvideo game movie. Sadly, 2016 wasn’t able to deliver one despite having a few promising titles in the pipeline, such asWarcraftandAssassin’s Creed. For quite some time, movies based on the gamesPortalandHalf-Lifehave been in development, both of which could be that first great video game movie. It has been a while since we’ve had any kind of an update, butGabe Newell, co-founder of Valve, which is the game company behind the titles, has promised that the movies are still coming.
Gabe Newellrecently took part in aReddit AMAand was asked about the status of both theHalf-LifeandPortalmovies. He really couldn’t say much, but he did confirm that both movies are on the way by simply answering “Yep.They’re coming.” It may not be the most enthusiastic or informative answer, but it does confirm that the projects are still in the works, at least.
Development on both games as movies started back in 2013 whenJ.J. AbramsmetGabe Newelland started discussing the possibility of bringingHalf-LifeandPortalto the big screen.J.J. Abrams' production companyBad Robothas been developing both properties for several years now, but the progress seems to be slow moving. While promoting10 Cloverfield Lanelast year,J.J. Abramsalso offered an update, but his was also somewhat bland and unencouraging to those who want to see the movies sometime this decade.
“They’re in development. And we’ve got writers, and we’re working on both those stories. But nothing that would be an exciting update.”
Portalwas released in 2007 with asequelcoming out later in 2011, both of which were incredibly popular. The game is a first-person puzzle-platform that was developed by Valve. The game consists of a series of puzzles that must be solved by teleporting the player’s character and simple objects using “the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device”, a device that can create inter-spatial portals between two flat planes. It is a simple yet very mind-bending concept.
The originalHalf-Lifewas also developed by Valve and released in 1998. The game is a first-person shooter that revolves around Dr. Gordon Freeman, who must fight his way out of a secret research facility after a teleportation experiment goes horribly wrong. The gameplay mostly involves fighting enemies and solving puzzles, but unlike many other games at the time,Half-Lifefeatures no cutscenes and the player has uninterrupted control. The sequel,Half-Life 2was released in 2004 and is among the most well-liked and best-reviewed games ever made. So it seems like a good candidate for a movie adaptation.
We don’t know who the creatives are for either theHalf-LifeorPortalmovie at the moment. When it comes time to find a director, don’t expectJ.J. Abramsto step up, though, as he recently said that he wants to focus more on original ideas and less on sequels and reboots. Not that a video game movie would be a sequel or a reboot, but it doesn’t quite fit into the “original idea” box. However, directorDan Trachtenberg, who handled10 Cloverfield Land, got his start with aPortalshort film calledNo Escapethat was very well-received and helped get him the job working with Bad Robot. So, maybe he would be a good option? We’ll have to wait and see, but at least for now, it doesn’t look like we should expect either movie anytime soon.
