A variety of problems have brought movie production to its knees
First Universal Pictures and then 20th Century Fox got cold feet and backed-out of co-financing the production, over apparently draconian demands by Microsoft on merchandising rights and upfront fees.
There are also rumours that its original $75m budget escalated to more than $135m, making it an even tougher one to support for traditionally risk-averse movie studios.
"Halo is looking increasingly less like entertainment, than a very slow motion train crash..."
With Neill Blomkamp currently on course to direct - whose experience includes making commercials and the odd episode of the weak TV Superman serial Smallville - and a script re-write in progress by the unheard of DB Weiss, Halo is looking increasingly less like entertainment, than a very slow motion train crash in full view of the world.
For the first time ever the Master Chief may have met his match - the Hollywood studio system.
Published 21st January 2007
