Half-Life and Portal Film Ideas are Steaming in J.J. Abrams’ Brain
The man's name is tied to geektastic franchises like Star Trek and Star Wars, but what cinematic plans does J.J. Abrams have for two other bastions of nerdom, Half-Life and Portal?
Polygon reports on the announcement at DICE that J.J. Abrams and Valve want to work together to make a video game (obligatory lens flare joke goes here), and perhaps even a Half-Life or Portal film.
In an interview with Polygon, Abrams discussed the possible movie ideas and said, "And both a Portal and Half-Life movie are things I want to see. We're also aware of the cautionary tales of movies that became games and vice-versa. Our goal here to is to treat the world Valve has created in both these properties like anyone would a book or some great story that comes from a pitch or original script — just to treat it with the respect they treat their games and their players with."
That sounds like a breath of fresh adaptation air. Films based on video game properties are notorious for being critical stinkers, so it's encouraging to see someone like J.J. Abrams willing to give a project the respect it deserves. Like him or not, the fact that he wants to be faithful to the source material and respect its fans is refreshing.
It's not the first time that someone's expressed interest in making a film based on a Valve game. In a 2010 interview with PC Gamer, Gabe Newell discussed how other directors and writers came to him with ideas for a Half-Life movie.
He said, "And their stories were just so bad. I mean, brutally, the worst. Not understanding what made the game a good game, or what made the property an interesting thing for people to be a fan of."
We look forward to seeing more details about the video game collaboration between Abrams and Valve, and we'll definitely update you if any news about a Half-Life or Portal movie materializes.
Would you watch a Half-Life or Portal film directed by J.J. Abrams? Sound off in the comments section and tell us why or why not!