J.J. Abrams has been on an absolute tear the past few years, tipping his glass to Ridley Scott's widespread work ethic as he taps franchise after franchise with his “Star Trek” and “Star Wars” involvement alongside numerous biopics and pilots. And while those projects may point to his schedule growing full, naturally he's now decided to use the five minutes left free to collaborate on two critically acclaimed video game adaptations.
During the DICE Summit opening keynote speech in Las Vegas yesterday, Abrams joined Gabe Newell, the head of videogame company Valve, to drop a surprise announcement: Abrams' Bad Robot production company will team up with Newell's to “figure out if we can make a 'Portal' movie or 'Half-Life' movie together,” as well as another separate video game.
This being Abrams, of course any further developments or details remain locked under a long-term promotional campaign somewhere, but the news is massive for fans of both games — one a conspiracy thriller with mutants, the other a reality-bending platformer with the promise of cake at the end.
These dense properties have been rumored for cinematic versions ever since their release, and yet besides the “Portal” voice of GlaDOS' recent inclusion in the “Pacific Rim” trailer, any solid leads into production remained stunted. We're eager to see what the “Star Trek Into Darkness” director brings to Valve's properties, but as “Star Wars” begins to take over Abrams' life wholesale, let's hope he has the focus ready to deliver as much of an inspired take on fan favorites as he has in the past. [Deadline]