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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:34
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http://www.gamesindustry.biz/content_page.php?aid=9377
quote:
Microsoft demands heavy studio commitment as Halo goes to the movies
Illustration
Rob Fahey 11:33 08/06/2005
Insists on $10 million advance, $75 million below the line budget - and creative control
Plans for a high-budget Halo movie are being pushed ahead by Microsoft, which delivered copies of the Alex Garland penned script to Hollywood studios earlier this week - with a high price tag and tough conditions attached.
Messengers dressed as the Xbox series' iconic hero, the Master Chief, arrived at the offices of many major studios on Monday to hand in copies of the script, for which Garland - the British author of The Beach and 28 Days Later - was paid $1 million.
Microsoft is keen to get work started on the film as soon as possible, according to a report in Hollywood publication Variety, which claims that the software giant wanted responses from studios as soon as late on Monday, with a view to starting production by January.
That indicates that the company could be planning a 2006 launch for the movie - the same timeframe as Halo 3 on the Xbox 360, which will arrive at around the same time as the launch of the PlayStation 3 according to Microsoft chairman Bill Gates.
However, a number of major studios have reportedly already bowed out of the running for the movie despite the incredible buzz surrounding the franchise, with Microsoft's terms and conditions being seen as incredibly tough to meet.
According to Variety, Microsoft's demands include $10 million advance against 15 per cent of the movie's gross takings, while other reports suggest that the company is also insisting on a $75 million below the line budget commitment - a sum which doesn't include major expenses such as the amount that would be paid to the actors and director hired for the project.
Microsoft - or, more specifically, subsidiary Bungie Studios - would also retain a massive degree of creative control over the project, with the winning studio forced to work to a strict "bible" to ensure that the movie doesn't conflict with anything in the complex universe set up by the previous Halo games and books, or anything planned for future games.
These conditions have already led to New Line and DreamWorks passing on the project, according to Variety's sources, while the Sony Pictures group (including labels such as Columbia and MGM) has been excluded for the bidding due to the rivalry between Microsoft and Sony in the videogames space.
However, a number of other studios remain in the running - with Variety reporting that several companies are "potentially interested" in bidding for Halo. The fact that the game series has sold around 13 million units worldwide since its debut four years ago is almost certainly an attractive carrot, after all. |
Looks like they want to launch a blockbuster movie & Halo 3 at the same time -- at the PS3 launch.
That would be pretty fun. 
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JohnT
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Capitalist
Mar 1999
time: 00:34
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Well, yeah, like any good author they want an upfront advance. Problem is, any studio that thinks MS is going to be a silent partner on this project is going to get a rude awakening.
Their knowledge of the difference between "gross" and "net" profits, Hollywood style, shows at least that they've learned the lessons of Art Buchwald and Winston Groom and does them credit.
Interestingly, a demand of $10,000,000 against 15% of gross shows that MS expects this movie to make a minimum of $135,000,000 domestic. (10mil/.15 X 2)
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Asher
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Calgary, Alberta
Nov 1999
time: 22:34
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http://news.com.com/Hollywood+balks...tml?tag=st.next
Microsoft, Universal Pictures, and 20th Century Fox have signed a tenative deal.
quote:
Two of the people involved said that late Wednesday afternoon Schlessel, Universal and Fox tentatively agreed to complex financial terms: Microsoft would be paid no more than $5 million for Halo, half the original asking price. That amount was part of a deal to give Microsoft 10 percent of the first-dollar box-office gross receipts, less than before but still considerable given Microsoft's lack of a track record. Universal, in turn, would oversee production and get domestic distribution rights, while Fox would get the foreign rights and have a say in production.
Both studios declined to comment on Thursday. That is because the deal is contingent on Microsoft's agreeing to give up some creative control, the two people said.
All sides are sure to claim victory once a deal is announced. Microsoft can tell fans it preserved the integrity of the Halo games; Creative Artists will try to demand even more money for its clients; and Fox and Universal will lay claim to a hot video game title and a potential future partner in Microsoft. The other studios, for their part, will have to decide whether to go along when other eager video game makers come calling. |
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09-06-2005 09:17
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