It’s happening now because the Halo film collapsed

Back in 2005, Peter Jackson picked Blomkamp to make the first film based on the Halo console franchise.

While the movie had been announced with much fanfare and PR hype (including a Master Chief-costumed lackey personally delivering the script to various movie studios), the project languished in development despite a quick pick-up from Universal and Fox.

The budget began to inflate even as various script drafts were cranked out, and eventually the film was shut down.

"What happened was this: Universal, on behalf of both studios, asked for a meeting with the filmmakers just prior to the due date of a significant payment," says Peter Jackson’s development executive, Ken Kamins.

"Basically, they said that in order to move forward with the film, the filmmakers had to significantly reduce their deals. They waited until the last minute to have this conversation. Peter and Fran, after speaking with their producing partners and with Microsoft and Bungie, respectfully declined."

Blomkamp would direct three short Halo ads for the franchise’s latest games, but Halo remains in limbo. Jackson, meanwhile, was ready to move on: “Okay," he apparently told the helmer. "Let's just make a cool movie from an original script."

The result? Something new from something old…