EEG News

MS Nears Halo Movie Deal

I work as the Web editor for Technology Review, and, as you might imagine, there is little call for my expertise in digital entertainment. That's not really what we do here. Every once in awhile, though, I do get called to duty. Last week, the deputy editor and I had a long discussion about Halo 2, and its import to Microsoft.

It's a subject I've long championed, because I believe this franchise is the lynchpin to their digital home move, particularly since its this franchise that will make people go out and buy the next Xbox 360 -- the center piece of Microsoft's digital living room.

I bring that up so that I we can talk about the news that Microsoft is nearing a deal to sell the movie rights to its Halo franchise. Apparently, negotiations hit a snag because the company wanted to maintain creative input (which is a no-brainer, since any misstep could kill the franchise, and set its move into the home back some ways).

From the story:

Represented by Creative Artists Agency, Microsoft sought an unusually high upfront payment of $10 million plus 15 percent of initial gross box office sales, which led several studios to drop out of talks, according to sources near the deal-making.

Sin City to Silver Screen

It's a little bit off-topic here in the land of electronic gaming, but it's hard to skip over: the cult sensation graphic novel Sin City has just hit the big screen -- and Wired News has a look at the graphics used in the film.

My buddy Austin was the first to turn me on to Sin City, and I'm anxious to see how this translates. The hype reminds me of the original Batman movie (uh, not the original -- the first Michael Keaton film). The stylized glitz felt like some other-worldly trip.

This is clearly going to deliver the same experience (with the addition of sex and violence) -- but set in a world eerily familar to gamers.

PSP Tickles Studios' Fancy

I'm trying not to get overly excited about Disney's announcement that it will be selling movies formatted for the Sony PSP, because we've lived through this before. Back in the last 90s, when the MP3 format was quickly taking the digerati by storm, there would be flurries of announcements discussing the impending deals with record labels that would flood the market with digital music.

Of course, almost none of that panned out. Record companies, right or wrong, were concerned that they would undercut their own CD market with digital goods.

This, however, could be different simply because the DVD market is already saturated with films -- so putting out specifically optimized disks (albeit with digital works) is really just an extension of an already existing business model. The PSP will ship with a copy of Spider-Man 2. (Ed note: How freakin' cool is that?)

Not surprisingly, as the Cnet article points out, music (or a lack thereof) continues to be a sticking point for the device.

Eastwood to Voice Dirty Harry in Game

Just a few days after sweeping almost all of the important Oscar categories (re: the ones I care about) -- with the exception of Best Actor -- Clint Eastwood's production company announced that he would voice Dirty Harry Callahan for the Dirty Harry video game, according to this Variety story.

The game will include characters and settings from the five-film franchise, which began with "Dirty Harry" in 1971 and ended with "The Dead Pool" in 1988. But the storyline will be original.

It's funny that this comes up now (but actually it makes a lot of sense considering the publicity Eastwood is getting). My writing partner, his girlfriend, and I were discussing the merits of Eastwood, and how in his later years, he's made the types of films that convey a certain gritty reality (as real as the movies can portray that) with The Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby (which I think is The Unforgiven for boxing),

Now, I'm anxious to see if he can translate the story telling from his later film making years into a realistic, morality tale where there are no heroes and villains.

Thoughts on Games & L&O:SVU

Cnet's David Becker has a nice, long story that traces the political landscape forged between game developers and government officials. It's an interesting -- albeit depressing -- piece, because it does shed light on the absolute polarization of this issue.

This is a good time to discuss a television show -- maybe my favorite show -- which did a disservice to the issue. A few weeks back, Law & Order: SVU that featured two people running down a prostitute with their car, and then killing her with, I believe, a shoe. It was the typical violent death beginning that sets the show in motion.

The backdrop for the plot, though, was a game company which made a Grand Theft Auto type series. Throughout the show, they dragged developers, players, and programmers in and out of the interrogation room -- essentially blaming everyone involved.

I sat watching the program, and couldn't help but think it was exactly this type of thinking that must go on across the country (although I realize it's silly to put too much stock into a TV show). Something happens -- it involves games, or whatever other youth culture -- and from that comes a litany of accusations.

Game Makers Shy Away from Hollywood

The New York Times has a good piece today about the fickle relationship between Hollywood and game publishers.

It's informative, but the premise is a no-brainer: Big films don't always make big games, and that means publishers are backing away from high-priced licensing fees. The reason, as I've discussed before: great movies rarely make for great games.

It's interesting, though, that we're reaching a saturation point (or maybe even a tipping point) where game developers are beginning to see "potential" in certain movies. I'm not sure what that would be (as I'm just a lowly writer), but I assume it would the ability to parse out a nugget of the film that:

• Captures the spirit of the movie
• Puts players in control of the action, which is different than the movie
• Emphasizes game play over cinematic qualities

I know Henry Jenkins, from the MIT Comparative Media Department, has worked with game developers on story plots and structures, and that -- along with other endeavors -- have probably helped developers spot the kernel of an interactive storyline.

EA, WB Announce Batman Begins Video Game Cast

Electronic Arts is at it again, announcing a banner cast for the new Batman Begins video game, which will go along with the Warner Bros. movie of the same name.

The cast will include:

• Christian Bale (Bruce Wayne/Batman)
• Michael Caine (Alfred Pennyworth)
• Liam Neeson (Henri Ducard)
• Katie Holmes (Rachel Dawes)
• Cillian Murphy (Dr. Jonathan Crane)
• Tom Wilkinson (Carmine Falcone)
• Morgan Freeman (Lucius Fox)

I watched the trailer over at iFilms today, and frankly, it looks to get back to the sinister roots that the series was built upon (as opposed to the fast food approved later films). I'm anxious to see how well the franchise is pulled off with the game.

NY Times: Media Companies Eyeing Game, Movie, TV Partnerships

The New York Times has a story today about media conglomerates renewed efforts to bring the movie, television, and video game businesses under on umbrella, ostensibly making it much easier to create cross-platform licenses.

The main business thinking -- and it's one that makes sense on the surface -- is that overall prices would be driven down for creating a single property is actors could be locked down, productions could be coordinated, and marketing efforts could be combined.

Of course, this throws aside the massive problems Time Warner and America Online have had integrating their two disparate business units (old media and new media, for lack of better terms).

To completely pull this off, there would almost need to be a re-envisioning of how media properties were put together -- and it would require each group to not be constrained by the limitations of the other media.

For instance, time lines in story telling would need to be flexible enough to allow each narrative to unfold -- but they would have to be cohesive enough so as not to drive hard core fans away. And while linear story telling works well in television and film, the games would need to be open-ended in terms of use (and likely far more limited in scope).

Most importantly, though, the production cycles for each medium are very different. While television schedules are weekly, games are generally finished "when they are finished" -- a mantra that would likely have Hollywood marketers jumping out of windows.

Louisiana Wants to Create Integrated Studios

The Associated Press has a good story about Louisiana's attempt to integrate the movie, video game, and digital production industries in an attempt to grow the state's entertainment industry.

Clearly, this has already happened in places such as New York, Los Angeles, and the Bay Area, but there hasn't been many other major pushes when it comes to integrated media. However, if it's done well, setting up a closely tied community of specialists would give studios looking to make cross-platform products something to think about when they start development.

An interesting side note is that the development of this product might very well help transform some of the universities, since highly skilled workers will be hard to come by unless they are home grown.

From the story:

But game companies will only come if Louisiana can produce skilled programmers and designers for them to employ to capture the tax credits. And such training must come from the universities, said Stephen Beck, director of the LSU Laboratory for Creative Technologies.

The Wizard of Oz Goes to Small Screen

Uh, I'm not even sure how to feel about American McGee's re-envisioning of The Wizard of Oz, as both a video game and a movie. There is a long discussion going on at Slashdot on the subject.

Here are the facts from today's Hollywood Reporter story:

The relationship between Jerry Bruckheimer and video game creator American McGee grew even closer with the news that McGee will write the script for the film adaptation of his video game "Oz." Bruckheimer has the option for a trilogy of Walt Disney Co. films based on the property, which is a prequel to the classic L. Frank Baum book "The Wizard of Oz"

The script will follow the travels of a yound boy who is transported to a darker Oz, and must comes to grips with his powers as he ventures through the land. Tinkering with such a classic world, though, has stirred the emotions of many fans -- and it will be interesting to see how McGee and Bruckheimer pull this off.