Lord of the Ring

Peter Jackson Trades the Ring for a Halo

from andPop

Hobbits, apes and now aliens. As if Peter Jackson's resumé needs any more sci-fi padding.

His reputation as Lord of the Geeks is further cemented with today's announcement that he'll serve as executive producer of the upcoming video game movie Halo.

Universal Pictures and Twentieth Century Fox revealed that Academy Award winners Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh will produce the highly anticipated feature film based on Microsoft's beloved video game. The press release states that Jackson and Walsh will "provide creative counsel on all aspects of the film" through their state-of-the-art production companies Weta Digital Ltd. and Weta Workshop Ltd., famed for their high-tech visual effects. This is the first time that Weta is working on a major studio film that Jackson is not directing.

"As a gaming fan, I'm excited to bring Halo's premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today's technology can provide," said Jackson. "I'm a huge fan of the game and look forward to helping it come alive on the cinema screen."

Slated for a summer 2007 release, Halo will be shot in New Zealand, where all the cool movies are filmed nowadays. Alex Garland (28 Days Later) wrote the screenplay adaptation of the game, and a director will be announced shortly.

"Peter Jackson is one of Hollywood's most exciting innovators, and our partnership with him will greatly broaden the appeal of the Halo franchise," said Bill Gates, chairman of Microsoft and everybody's favourite billionaire. Bungie Studios, a division of Microsoft, created the original Halo in 2001, and the franchise it spawned has grossed more than $600 million. "We're confident he'll create an epic that not only thrills existing Halo fans, but also introduces millions of moviegoers around the world to this amazing saga."

Jackson is currently working on his next blockbuster, King Kong, which is in post-production and scheduled to open worldwide on December 14.