What would you look for in a half-life film?

T

TJC Martin

Guest
Ive been trying to get a Half Life film made for a while, im a young writer/ Director from england, and i have alot of passion for the project, matched by my love for the games, ive been trying to contact Valve for a while, but they never respond.

Here is what im planning for the film...

Script
The script is currently ¼ complete, and very closely resembles the game.

Lead Characters
Dr. Gordon Freeman: Edward Norton
Barney: Ray Romano
G Man: Lance Henriksen
Dr Issac Kliener: Robin Williams
Dr Edwards: Dylan Moran

Crew
Cinematographer: Gabriel Beristain
Original Music: The Dust Brothers
Producer: David Fincher
Production/ set design: The team from Half life

Soundtrack
Nothing finalised on my part yet, but the soundtrack is eclectic, so expect;
1.Slipknot: Duality
2.Prodigy: Firestarter
3.George Formby: Bless 'em all
4.Dust Brothers: This is your life
5.Mos Def & Massive attack: I against I
6.Nirvana: You know you’re right
7.Gorrilaz: Feel Good inc.
8.RATM: Wake up
any thoughts or comments welcome
 
Naked people, and some girl on girl action would be nice too
 
If the film was made i would like to see a seeped up process of a headcrab on a person to show the mutation......i think that would be so sweet to see happen.
 
Scratch the soundtrack. Now.
Sure, Good music...but honestly...HL is NOT a metal-rockfest type game.
And if there's going to be an HL movie, Make it a silent film. :D
 
The soundtrack should be alot of instrumental string/orchestral music, a lá Battle Royales elongated string pieces, and some high-adrenaline electro/electronica music like Kelly Bailey. Honestly, nothing else is Half-Life.

Anyway, Valve have been contacted countless times by major film companies, but they say that they aren't very positive on a Half-Life film unless they are awestruck by some very impressive material.
 
Maybe a movie set in the HL universe, but you couldn't cast Gordon. That would be heresy. Maybe set in a way which would have the same effect as an addon pack - i.e. following the adventures of someone else.

But it would be tough.

I don't think there will be a HL movie, Valve don't want to produce a lame movie spin off, like so many before it.
If Valve authorised a movie, it would have to be the best.
 
The thing I'd look for would be the exit :p

okay okay okay, prejudices aside, let's look at what you have...

Well Edward Norton and Lars Henriksson could be very well cast as Gordon and GMan...but who is 'Dr. Edwards'? And Robin Williams...?!? Kliener would be hard to cast, I admit, but Williams would make it farcical.

Also, if the film had the soundtrack you listed, there wouldn't even be the slightest chance of me going to see it. Get Slipknot, RATM, Nirvana, Gorillaz and all that crap off there...Prodigy are respectable but inappropriate, and Firestarter is like 30 years old. What you have is like Q Magazine + Kerrang TV added to film....AWFUL. Music would have to be slightly more obscure, unobtrusive and less likely to inspire intense feelings of revulsion in most people.

The crucial thing you would have to realise in making a film of Half Life is that Half Life is already its own film. Valve created a game that is already the perfect dramatic experience, by feeding everything to you as if you were experiencing it directly. Therefore, if you were to remove the perspective from Gordon's eyes you'd have to be incredibly careful. If you were to create a story that jarred with players' individual experiences of the game, then you'd end up with cinemas full of pissed off people. Because let's face it if you're looking to please everyone and then please only the people who haven't played HL, then you've completely missed the point.

As FPS shooters go, HL is kind of "high brow"...the plot isn't drawn out in crayon, the humour is subtle and the drama is exquisitely crafted. So if you're pitching this as another hollywood blockbuster like 'XXX' or something, then... well, just give up for all our sakes. Sophisticated action thrillers are kind of hard to come by nowadays, but if you're looking for an idea of the potential difference in sophistication, then look at the first and second Mission Impossible films - first one; restrained, polished, subtle...second one; utter ****ing no-brainer with Limp Bizkit on the soundtrack. A higher age rating with some more focus on horror and tension could be good.

That's just some input....if I'm really honest, I suspect that all game to movie translations are doomed. Thus far they've all been atrocious, and little signs tell me that you're already going in the wrong direction with this one. Bin that turd of a soundtrack for a start.
 
kirovman said:
Maybe a movie set in the HL universe, but you couldn't cast Gordon. That would be heresy. Maybe set in a way which would have the same effect as an addon pack - i.e. following the adventures of someone else.

But it would be tough.

I don't think there will be a HL movie, Valve don't want to produce a lame movie spin off, like so many before it.
If Valve authorised a movie, it would have to be the best.
Click to expand...

I agree with all of that. I had actually thought about the idea of a HL movie before, not because I necessarily think it would be a good idea, but just cos I was wondering if it could be done...

and I came to the same conclusion that you did, that it would be much more likely to be true to the feel of HL if it didn't have Gordon as the focus. Maybe the film could have his activities as a big theme in the background, that pop to the surface once in a while. Maybe little cameos like you get in Op4 or whatever.
 
I'm sorry I just can't see HL really in a short 2 hour film, same with Doom's original story....
 
Did you just copy the playlist from your "My Music" folder or something?

And Robin Williams, WTF? seriously, where did you get these ideas.

The doom movie, should be a guy running around, shooting zombies, he doesnt even say anything, just shooting everything, I'd watch it, it worked for Dawn of the Dead 2004.
 
Hmmm... (in my opinion)

1. The soundtracks are very wrong. As xlucidx said, Half-Life was not made to be played on a hard-core soundtrack. It HAS to be only instrumental.

2. Robin Williams wouldn't be the best choice. His playing always has a sentimental thingy, which would be bad for a action-bloody-alien-massacre movie.

3. Edward Norton seems a good choice, even if I've always thought he was the kind of secondary actor who always die in an mid action scene.

And for what I would like to see:

- Just as the game: same atmosphere, tension, alien, marines, etc.
 
1. Don't bother. A game like Half-Life cannot be converted in to a film successfully. That's the bottom line. I would choose something more audience-friendly such as Deus Ex or Max Payne.

2. Every single one of my all time favourite movies has a classical soundtrack bar Pulp Fiction. The music should set the atmosphere for the movie.
 
I dont know what song would fit hl and if they did make a movie, please, no gordon freeman......
 
if they made a hl movie, i woudnt want gordon to be in it. it would have to be a story of someone else who gets tangled up in everything, and maybe you get to see a silouette of gordon or something for about two seconds at the very end of the movie.
 
Here's my ideas. I think you need to go a bit more EXXXTREEEMME with various aspects.

Cast:
Gordon Freeman: Arnold Schwartzenegger. He played a babysitter in Kindergarten Cop, a robot in Terminator, a marine in Predator, a secret agent in True Lies, and an angel in End Of Days, and - crucially - a violent sociopathic scientist in Batman and Robin. Is there a more versatile actor in the world? I think not!

Barney Calhoun: Billy Bob Thornton. Just because.

Eli Vance: Vin Diesel. Obviously Vin Diesel isn't suitable for playing a weak-ass pansy theoretical physicist, so I think it would kick ass for Eli to become a hard-ass weapons scientist, just itchin' to try out some of his insane weaponry.

Gordon's dad: Harrison Ford: Gordon has inspirational flashbacks to wise words his dad told him on his death bed. These are inspiration for Gordon when he has the choice to go to Xen

Adrian Shepard: Adrian teams up with Gordon near the middle, after the Marines pull out. Shepard should sacrifice himself so that Gordon can go to Xen.

The G-Man: Tom Hanks.

Gina: Gina should be Gordon's girlfriend. She should get headcrabbed shortly after the resonance cascade. Then Gordon finds love near the end of the film with a cute lady Vortigaunt.

Nihilanth: The guy who played the Architect in Matrix. OMG TAHT WUOLD OWNN!!!!11!

Soundtrack:
System of A Down, Moby, 50 Cent, Steeler's Wheel 'Stuck In The Middle With You', 'Come To Daddy' by Aphex Twin would be great for the final battle against Nihilanth, they should get the guy who sings the Enterprise theme to write and sing the end theme tune.... I'm still thinking.

---------------------------------
I like your ideas as well, TJC, but have a couple of problems: First - Dylan Moran? Is he going to play that Dr Edwards as very eccentric scientist. Also, I'm curious in the events of Half-Life you see Feel Good Inc being appropriate? Another problem I have is that I don't believe that you're actaully a director. Yeah, I think that's the main...issue I have with this whole thing.
 
I think you should post up your work (the script) here on the forums. You really need the feedback from the community because they will be your toughest and most knowledgable critics. Furthermore if you manage to please the HL fans there's a better chance it'll be accepted by Valve. I would really like to see what you have planned.
 
not a hl2 film, no film, films are gay
 
Stormy said:
not a hl2 film, no film, films are gay
Click to expand...

yeah i think it would be best if they didnt make a film of hl. the first resident evil movie was the only somewhat good game-to-movie i've ever seen. the other ones are crap, so if they made a hl movie, odds are that it would suck big time
 
That azz. Now I will leave it up to you to determine whether I meant Gordan's or Alyx's.
 
Someone that likes long walks on the beach, moonlite walks....wait....half life movie?
 
actually now that i think of it, a half-life movie could have potential as long as it followed a few rules:

1.) no gordon (maybe just a glimpse for those who look hard enough). having gordon as a character would ruin everything.

2.) it would have to be directed by a GOOD director, a really good one. if Uwe Boll took on a half-life film, i would go ballistic. for those of you who don't know who that is, uwe boll is the the terrible director who is responsible for some of the worst movies i've ever regretfully seen. for some reason he likes to make video-game movies that have nothing to do with the video-game, and all his work is garbage.

so 1. no gordon and 2. no uwe boll.
then a hl movie could have potential
 
Good point - you get the approval of the critics in this forum, and you might have a winner. Don't let the awful track record of other game to movie transitions deter you from trying. If it sucks, you'll join legions of other directors. If it owns, you'll be a frickin' hero.

Ray Romano as Barney would be funny. Inappropriate, but funny.
 
Adabiviak said:
Ray Romano as Barney would be funny. Inappropriate, but funny.
Click to expand...


Ray: Hey, I just shot a guy in the face, You ever shot a guy? Huh? Huh? Huh? Its like an old western. The good the bad and the combine. Eh? Eh? Eh?
 
Man, Roy Romano as Barney would be HILAREOUS.

That quote was great.

Bah, HL Movie dosn't sound to good in my books, but i agree with everyone else: You need a better soundtrack, a better cast and... probably not stupidly hardcoreness. Action-packed movie? Well, not in the vein of XXX. Definitely not. No way. forget about it.
 
Haven't you forgotten something....Valve own the copyright to the lambda logo, the Half-Life and the Half-Life logo amongst other things. If you want to use them you'll need to get permission first.



E
 
Uh, did you read the first post? He already said he's been trying to contact Valve.
Besides, have Valve actually copyrighted the lambda symbol... you know, seeing as how it's an ancient letter and all?
 
Valve are already trying to make it a film, yet movie studios are full of ****ing retards who want a love story with involving Gordon. ****ing MORONS!!

Anyway, i'll just point out that every game to film conversion has been directed by someone who's never played a game in their life, has absolutely no love for the game their making a movie of. The first good film based on a game will be directed by a hardcore FAN of the game, Imo fellas. IMO. This is a start...
 
pomegranate said:
Uh, did you read the first post? He already said he's been trying to contact Valve.
Besides, have Valve actually copyrighted the lambda symbol... you know, seeing as how it's an ancient letter and all?
Click to expand...

The lambda symbol as used in the game is copyright Valve, so unless Valve allow you to use it, you can't. Also, even if you did, Valve would no doubt take a large slice of the profits from the film and any associated merchandising. In these cases it's much better to get approval first before embarking on such a job - I know, I've tried.



E
 
I still think Ridley Scott would be perfect to direct a HL2 film. He's the guy who directed gladiator and black hawk down. Its just the style the films have that I think would be great for an HL2 film.

Like others said, please no Gorden Freeman. I'd want it to be centered around a normal family. It would be the easiest way to explain the combine's invasion techniques and such. (example- father could be made into a combine soldier, baby would be taken away, brother could get attacked by a headcrab and turned into a mawman, the rest of the family could be tranfered into different cities, one kid joins a rebel group, etc.)
 
I'd say James Cameron. A good high-profile deirector to be noticed in Hollywood, and is superb at Sci-fi atmosphere. Or they could wait.... 10 years until I graduate film school.... :p
 
Phat-t said:
I still think Ridley Scott would be perfect to direct a HL2 film. He's the guy who directed gladiator and black hawk down. Its just the style the films have that I think would be great for an HL2 film.

Like others said, please no Gorden Freeman. I'd want it to be centered around a normal family. It would be the easiest way to explain the combine's invasion techniques and such. (example- father could be made into a combine soldier, baby would be taken away, brother could get attacked by a headcrab and turned into a mawman, the rest of the family could be tranfered into different cities, one kid joins a rebel group, etc.)
Click to expand...


that actually sounds like a really good idea. ridley scott, and the family and such.
 
HL movie ?

hmm, the story should have a confusion, blood, and Gordon should only allowed to say 5-20 word in the film just like the terminator movies.
 
How about David Baddiel for Gordon ? Seriously, admit he looks like Gordon's twin brother! I can already picture him, holding that crowbar and looking angry into the camera...
*drool*
 
Wouldn't the film have to be totally in first person with you not talking, as Gordon doesn't have any personality whatsoever?
 
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