J.J. Abrams confirms Half-Life and Portal movies are still alive

[midian182]

Way back in 2013, it was reported that Valve CEO Gabe Newell and Star Wars: The Force Awakens director J.J Abrams had been in discussions about making a movie based on either Portal or Half-Life. Since this announcement, there hasn’t been much news about the project, but Abrams has just stated that movies set in both game worlds are still in the works.

In an interview with IGN about 10 Cloverfield Lane, which Abrams produced, he was asked if he could give a status update for the movies. "Not yet, but 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,” Abrams said, confirming their existence.

Newell had talked about a Half-Life movie long before the 2013 DICE Summit announcement. In 2010, the CEO complained about the pitches he had received from production companies looking to cash-in on the Half-Life name.

"Their stories were just so bad. I mean, brutally, the worst. Not understanding what made the game a good game, or what made the property an interesting thing for people to be a fan of."

As IGN points out, 10 Cloverfield Lane is directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who rose to fame partly thanks to his 2011 short fan movie Portal: No Escape. He hasn’t been linked to the Abrams Portal project, but Trachtenberg does seem like he’d be a good fit.

Barring a handful of exceptions, movies based on video games have a history of being pretty terrible; one of the more recent examples, Hitman: Agent 47, scored 28 percent on Metacritic and just 8 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. But having Abrams tied to the projects should make people optimistic that they’ll be worthy of their respective names.

While the Half-Life and Portal projects may be “in development,” there’s no guarantee that they’ll ever become a reality. How well some of the upcoming movies based on games – such as Warcraft – perform could be a factor in whether we’ll ever see Gordon Freeman and Chell on the big screen.

Half-Life and Portal movies fan-made posters

Credit: rockmassif

Credit: Tristan Reidford Art

Credit: Sean Keenan

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https://www.techspot.com/news/64093-jj-abrams-confirms-half-life-portal-movies-alive.html

 

[3volv3d]

I know people will face palm me for saying this, but I played Half Life, and have a very meh attitude towards it. Can take it or leave it. It did not draw me in at all. I think that sound as you die, just grated me. And the crap graphics. And I am not one for saying a game must have great graphics, but, it was worse than Goldeneye on the N64.

So that said, make a film about it, ruin away.

But Portal, it is one of those games where, you don't really know where you are, what the world is like around you, its not quite the same world as the Half Life one, to me it isn't in the same fantasy world. Especially after the whole 1940's/50's Portal 2 bits you see. And I hope for another game that shows us more, from that universe, more of where it came from. Or how it got into its state. I mean maybe a film could do that, but they always screw it up. You gotta tread carefully.

So wheres the link to the forum post where we vote on which games became movies and didn't get F'd in the A? Or is there not one as they all have been...

 

[Panda218]

I know people will face palm me for saying this, but I played Half Life, and have a very meh attitude towards it. Can take it or leave it. It did not draw me in at all. I think that sound as you die, just grated me. And the crap graphics. And I am not one for saying a game must have great graphics, but, it was worse than Goldeneye on the N64.

Sounds like you must of died a lot ^^ Did you ever play Half life 2? that was by far the best of the series. In 1998 we didn't have much of any VRAM to use in games so they all looked like garbage...

I approve of a half life movie, but I can't stand behind Portals being put up on the big screen.

 

[Carmaine]

Bryan Cranston with a bit of CGI added "youth" as Gordon Freeman. I'd watch it.

 

[9Nails]

I feel that Half Life will have more potential to be a complete story, which the fans will not enjoy. Mostly because this is based on the fun of playing a game which doesn't translate into a story very well.

Portal has no story, which might allow it to go in any creative direction.

That said,... Come On Valve! Make Some New Games!!!

 

[JB Hickok]

Well they are half alive.

 

[Emexrulsier]

At the time of it's release the graphics were pretty good, with some amazing sound, lighting, and environment. Golden eye though also good, due to the low resolution and horse power of the n64 it didn't and doesnt compare to HL.