peter jackson
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Lord of the Rings Trilogy headed to Blu-ray?
Now that we've already got one particular trilogy on our BD radar, it's only fitting that yet another blockbuster trio hit the screen. According to PSU, Peter Jackson has stated outrightly that he is "working on a Blu-ray version of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy with Warner Bros. at the moment," and although he confessed that a release date wasn't available, we are told not to expect it anytime this year. Reportedly, the comments were divulged while chatting about the forthcoming Hobbit, and while we're undoubtedly stoked to hear the news, we can't help but feel somewhat crushed that Profile 4.0 may very well be out and about before this collection ever lands. [Disclosure: Engadget is part of the Time Warner family][Image courtesy of Britannica, thanks Justin]
Microsoft Game Studios' 2008 in Gaming: A Yearbook
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/2008_Yearbook_Microsoft_Game_Studios'; Interested in seeing what you'll be playing on your Xbox 360 in the coming months? X3F has compiled the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook for you, a list of this year's exclusive graduating class with a detailed account of each title's current status and the stories surrounding them.The 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook chronicles the graduates, like the soon-to-be released Ninja Gaiden II, and the titles that didn't make it to grad, like Alan Wake. Yep, he had to be held back for a semester or two. Or maybe three, we just don't know yet.Ladies and gentlemen, allow us to introduce the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios graduating class ...
2008 Yearbook: Microsoft Game Studios
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/2008_Yearbook_Microsoft_Game_Studios'; After a solid year for the Xbox 360 in 2007 many thought the system could never showcase the same amount of quality exclusives in a single year.In the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook, we've compiled a list of this year's graduating class with a detailed account of each title's current status and the stories surrounding them.From heartbreaking cancellations, surprise feature announcements and expected sequels, the 2008 MGS Yearbook is filled with fun facts and information on your soon-to-be favorite titles. Also included in the yearbook are special joke awards given to each title that releases in 2008 that poke fun at the details most commonly argued about in the comments.From Ninja Gaiden II to Alan Wake, the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios Yearbook will have something for everyone.Ladies and gentlemen allow us to introduce the 2008 Microsoft Game Studios graduating class ...
Rumor: Bungie's next game a third-person Halo prequel
Let the rumor-rang fly! In the June issue of EGM, rumor hound Quarterman claims industry rumblings are pointing at a Halo prequel as Bungie's first title since parting from Microsoft. According to the popular rumor page of the magazine, the rumored game is a third-person action/shooter hybrid that will chronicle the early battles between the ODST (Orbital Drop Shock Troopers) and Covenant.The Master Chiefless adventure would hit the Xbox 360 in late 2009 and may or may not be related to the "Peter Jackson Halo Project" we've been hearing about forever. Quarterman closes off the Halo-future tidbit telling readers to expect a massive reveal around the time Gears of War 2 hits retail.From the description it sounds a little like "sci-fi Ghost Recon," doesn't it? Well, not to add fuel to the fire but considering former Ghost Recon lead designer and Ubisoft creative director Christian Allen jumped ship to Bungie in August 2007, this one could have some juice to it.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Peter Jackson's Halo project now hiring
MTV's Multiplayer speculated and has now confirmed that Microsoft is currently hiring new team members for Peter Jackson's mysterious Halo-related project. The speculation arose when Microsoft posted several new job listings looking for people to "help develop a new experience in the Halo universe" alongside an "external luminary." So, Halo and a luminary. Sounds like Peter's project to us.While at first it seemed strange that Microsoft would only now be hiring for the project, Microsoft followed up with MTV to clear things up. The company told MTV, "Microsoft Game Studios has been hard at work collaborating with Peter Jackson and Bungie on the development of [a Peter Jackson-helmed Halo project]. At this time, it's necessary to grow the internal team to keep pace with development. Bungie will continue to remain involved in multiple aspects of the Halo Universe with MGS." So, it turns out that the project's development team is merely expanding -- as opposed to just now being formed -- which would indicate the project has become more expansive as well.Let's hope we can hear some news about the actual game sometime soon. Seriously, we're starving for info.[Via Joystiq]
Microsoft now hiring Peter Jackson's Halo team [update]
So, we've been hearing about Peter Jackson's Halo project since the Kennedy administration, but we've heard nary a peep in recent months. Now, MTV Multiplayer reports that it suspects Microsoft is hiring folks for the project this week, based on a recent job listing for a team to "help develop a new experience in the Halo universe."The listings says that the team will work with an "external luminary" on the project, which has MTV thinking: Peter Jackson, duh. It has us thinking, "Are you seriously just now getting started on this?" Here's hoping we find out more about the mystery project in the coming days.Update: Microsoft has confirmed with MTV that the job listings are for the Jackson project. "Microsoft Game Studios has been hard at work collaborating with Peter Jackson and Bungie on the development of [a Peter Jackson-helmed Halo project]. At this time, it's necessary to grow the internal team to keep pace with development. Bungie will continue to remain involved in multiple aspects of the Halo Universe with MGS."
Upcoming MMO movies (and why they'll suck)
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Upcoming_MMO_movies_and_why_they_ll_suck'; Dorothy Parker once said "The only 'ism' Hollywood believes in is plagiarism." While not technically plagiarism, the practice of mining popular properties of other media is a time-honored mainstay of Hollywood's. Why invent a new franchise when you can adapt one that already exists? Well, if we're talking about translating videogames to cinema, there are at least 3 reasons against that we can think of right away: Street Fighter: The Movie, Double Dragon, and Doom. Oh, and the entire body of work of Uwe Boll.With such a history of failure, why does Hollywood keep banking on videogames as good sources of material? Because it's always desperate for the next big hit, and adaptation is seen as being easier than originality, even though by now it's apparent that it's not quite as simple as it seems. An even better question is: why exactly don't these translations work? What is it about games that makes for poor films? Let's see if we can answer this question and assess the potential success/failure of some upcoming MMO movies.
Would You Rather ... Spartans! Edition
In our continuing effort to bring you fresh and interesting content, X3F presents Would You Rather ... a weekly feature that asks you the hard questions. The point? If you had to choose one or the other, which would you go for?In week two of WUR we ask you to decide between a true sequel to Halo in the form of Halo 4 or a Halo first-person massively multiplayer online title. So, putting the Halo storyline aside, we want to know:Feel free to share the reasons for your vote in the comments. We'll share the results of the poll during the next edition of Would You Rather ... which hits X3F every Wednesday.Last weeks surprising results can be find after the jump ... Engage!
Bungie's next game "totally different"
It looks like Bungie took notes on the subject of hype while under the massive money-lined wing of Microsoft. On the latest installment of the Bungie Podcast regulars Frank O'Connor, Luke Smith and Brian Jarrard were joined by Christian Allen, former Ghost Recon 2 creative director, and teased listeners with the studio's newest project. Brian "Sketch" Jerrard confirmed that at least some of the staff are working on a new title and not Halo 3 downloadable content or an expansion. Jarrad specifically states the next game for Bungie is not Halo 3 related, but could it be related to the Peter Jackson project? It seems unlikely as Jarrard calls the new project, "totally different" and talks up what he's been able to see thus far. While Bungie makes everyone guess, we'd like to go on record and wager Bungie's next game is going to be a sequel of another popular Xbox title, Barbie's Horse Adventure 2: Horse Whisperin'.
Cinemassively: BloodSpell
Here at Massively, we take movie clips and Machinima very seriously. That's why we're introducing Cinemassively, your daily dose of video goodness. It's fitting that our launch today would be complemented by an equally massive Machinima; BloodSpell.Filmed in Neverwinter Nights, this feature-length epic tale follows the story of a young monk, Jered, who is trained to hunt the Blooded, or people whose blood has been infected with magic. When he realizes he has magic coursing through his veins, he must flee from the Church of the Angels. As he is pursued by his brethren, he is taken on an adventure with plenty of action and even a hot chick or two!The director of this film, Hugh Hancock, must have been created by putting Joss "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" Whedon and Peter "Lord of the Rings" Jackson in a blender. Hugh is one of the pioneers of Machinima, and his experience really shows. His script is by turns funny, intense and sometimes moving, the cinematography and direction is excellent. He has created a Machinima feature film that's involving and entertaining compared to other feature films in the cinema, not just Machinima.Check the full movie (you may need a Divx plugin installed) after the jump, or go download it over on the website.
Halo film NOT still in production at WETA
Update: The source article cited by 1UP is outdated and concerns the studios' now dashed prospects at the time the Halo film was originally canned. Joystiq regrets the error.The Halo film is not "entirely dead" as director Neill Blomkamp said earlier this month. In fact, preparation for the movie continues at Peter Jackson's WETA Studios while Microsoft pursues new distribution partners, according to a report in Variety (via 1UP).Concerning the previous deal that went sour, Ken Kamins, a representative for Jackson and partner Fran Walsh, told Variety that Universal had a meeting on behalf of both studios with the filmmakers just prior to a significant payment due date."Basically, [the studios] said that in order to move forward with the film, the filmmakers had to significantly reduce their deals," said Kamins. "They waited until the last minute to have this conversation. Peter and Fran, after speaking with their producing partners and with Microsoft and Bungie, respectfully declined.""We're very confident this film will move forward with the creative partners intact, who will take the film to production," said Kamins, who also noted that everyone involved is still confident with Blomkamp as the director.
Rumor: Next Halo project to be a FPS MMO?
Sandwiched within' the pages of the December issue of EGM is a new Halo rumor stating that either the Peter Jackson project or Bungie's next gaming venture could be a FPS MMO. EGM's rumor mole received special "word" that Microsoft is already busy creating a FPS MMO for the Xbox 360 and that it is tied to Bungie in some way. If one were to take the rumor further, one could speculate that the hush, hush Peter Jackson project or Bungie's post Halo 3 project could end up being the rumored MMO. Interesting stuff indeed. No matter where the rumor originated from or what is references to, we're going to hold off on getting excited until we get official word from Microsoft or until we get some concrete proof. Though, we wouldn't totally be against playing in a MMO Halo world ... it'd be liked WoW, but so much cooler.
Halo animated series squashed, transcription error to blame
Bungie and Peter Jackson plan to work together on a Halo animated series once Halo 3 is done, revealed Microsoft Games Studios' Shane Kim in an interview with GameSpy. When asked what the developer is working on after Halo 3, Kim replied that "they have the collaboration with Peter Jackson on the animated series."Update: We regret to inform you that the Halo animated series which briefly flitted about in your imagination solely came about due to a transcription error. We spoke to GameSpy's editorial director, John Keefer, and confirmed that Shane Kim only labeled the upcoming project as an "interactive" series. GameSpy "regrets the error" and has now appended an editorial note to the article.
Peter Jackson: no Blomkamp, no Halo movie
The Halo movie has been through its share of ups and downs. Fans will recall that Universal and FOX backed out of the picture some time ago. Speaking to Stuff.co.nz, Peter Jackson, previously brought on as producer of the film, said that he expects Universal and FOX to show renewed interest in the film after the release of Halo 3. Given the game's staggering pre-order numbers, he might be right. Also noteworthy, Jackson states that he won't produce the film without Neill Blomkamp, whom Jackson chose based on his short film work.What do you think, fanboys? Has Halo missed its chance at Hollywood success, or will Halo 3 spark a renewed interest?[Via Joystiq]
Jackson doing Halo film only if Blomkamp is director
That ever-elusive Halo film may soon see the light of day, according to attached producer and Hobbit scholar Peter Jackson, but that he'll only do it if Neill Blomkamp stays on as director.Jackson said in an interview with OnFilm that he believes movie studios 20th Century Fox and Universal Pictures, who backed out of funding the movie, will have renewed interest spurred by the impending Halo 3 onslaught.Speaking with Joystiq earlier this month, Bungie's Frank O'Connor said that Blomkamp, a relatively unknown director, was still attached to the project. "That was one of the rumors. It's a lot more complicated than that. But Neil Blomkamp is still working really closely with Peter Jackson," he said."We wouldn't want to do it with anybody else. It'll be Neill's call," said Jackson.If Fox and Universal still don't interest, Microsoft should produce more than enough funding come September 25.[Via Cinematical]
Jackson's Halo project will be episodic
During Microsoft's annual Blogger Breakfast at GDC (which Richard will be writing about soon), our Joystiq blogging army received some interesting news. During the breakfast, Shane Kim revealed that Peter Jackson is currently in the pre-production phases of two episodic games for the Xbox 360, with one being based on the (previously announced) Halo universe. When hearing the news, everyone jumped at the chance to pry more information from Shane's lips, but he refused stating "I may have said too much already". So there you have it folks, two episodic games coming from Peter Jackson. Anyone want to speculate to why Jackson chose to go with episodic content rather than a stand alone game? So many questions and so much waiting ...
Peter Jackson working on episodic Halo content
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Peter_Jackson_s_Halo_project_to_be_episodic'; During the second annual "Blogger Breakfast," Microsoft's Shane Kim revealed that Peter Jackson's forthcoming Xbox 360 projects will be episodic. "Peter Jackson is developing two episodic series," said Kim, reconfirming, "the first is in the Halo universe." Both projects are still lingering in their early design phases, but Microsoft hopes they will eventually serve as models for other developers to follow.When pried for more details about the as-yet-unnamed second series and release strategies for the content, Kim remained tight-lipped: "I may have said too much already." In reality Kim has added very little to what was already known. The lone revelation: (after all the talk) Microsoft is finally preparing to walk the 'episodic' walk. Good thing Jackson appears to be in shape -- it might be a long trek.
MTV interviews Phil Spencer about Halo [update 1]
If you haven't had your fill of Halo 3 news this week, then check out MTV's video interview with Microsoft's GM of publishing of first party titles Phil Spencer. Phil talks about everything Halo related including Peter Jackson's upcoming project, Halo Wars, and the Halo 3 beta. He discusses where they are at with all their projects, how involved they are with Mr. Jackson, how the Halo Wars RTS came to be, and gave us no news on the beta that we didn't already know. It's good to hear about the status of the other Halo projects as it looks like we'll be hearing about Halo Wars in the near future. RTS FTW, SS! (For those of you who aren't l33t, that translates to "real-time strategy for the win, super sweetness!")Update 1: Corrected our source and video links.[Via 2old2play]
Aussies get 360 HD DVD March 29 for $249 AUD
In a short but sweet news post, Xbox Zone revealed new details on the Xbox 360 HD DVD drive it discovered from Xbox Australia. The most pertinent news is that Oz will get its chance to pick up the add-on peripheral on March 29 for $249 AUD, which translates to approximately the $200 price tag for the US edition.The initial shipments of the drive will come with a Universal Remote Control (we presume he means the official Microsoft one) and a copy of King Kong on HD DVD. We're not going to pretend we can gauge the next-gen format market in Australia right now, so anyone hailing from the Land Down Under is more than welcome to contribute observations.
Microsoft: "Does it make sense for us to be in the movie business?"
The interview with Microsoft's Robbie Bach is all over the grid today. While most of the hubbub on the net concerns price cuts for the 360, there's another little gem in this interview. Bach replies to a question about the lagging progress of the Halo movie by saying, "There are a couple of things you have to recognize. Does it make sense for Microsoft to be in the movie business? It's not what we do, nor would I anticipate us ever doing it."Bach is saying this to the people who ask why Microsoft doesn't just fund the reportedly $200 million dollar budget film themselves. It's also why Microsoft got into trouble with the film to begin with. Both Fox and Universal pulled out of the deal because MS wanted them to pony up $5 million upfront and then 10% of all the film's profits later. The three companies couldn't come to terms on the deal when the studios tried to change things, and the picture fell apart.
