Halo movie to shine in 2007?

The film translation of Microsoft's somewhat-popular sci-fi based first-person shooter franchise Halo has been given an official 2007 launch target by Universal and 20th Century Fox, according to a report in entertainment publication Variety.

In an agreement between the three companies, Universal will oversee the movie's production and domestic distribution, while Fox controls its foreign provision. The two film studios will split the revenues equally, while paying Microsoft $5 million and 10 per cent of the film's gross. The Halo movie is being produced by Peter Schlessel, and has been written by 28 Days Later and The Beach scribe, Alex Garland, who was said to be paid $1 million to write the script.

The current agreement follows an initial dispute between the studios and Microsoft, where a request of a $10 million advance, 15 per cent of the film's gross and creative control were demanded. The settlement now allows Microsoft "extensive" consultation on the project, but no approval over any of the film elements. However, several members from the game's development team, Bungie, will serve as Microsoft's creative consultants.

Variety goes on to suggest the possibility of the movie being synchronised with the release of a new Halo title during 2007.

In related news, EB Games in North America is currently listing a Halo Triple Pack title for Xbox, which includes Halo, Halo 2, and the Halo 2 Multiplayer Map Pack for $60, set for an October 4th release. Microsoft was not available for confirmation at time of writing, nor to confirm the pack will be available in the UK.