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papermoonloveslucy · 7 years ago

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LUCY’S PUNCTURED ROMANCE

S4;E22 ~ February 7, 1972

Directed by Coby Ruskin ~ Written by Fred S. Fox and Seaman Jacobs

Synopsis

Lucy takes an interest in a new man (Robert Cummings), but the milkman tips off Kim that he may be a womanizing alcoholic. To protect her mother, Kim and Harry scheme to make him think the family is crazy, hoping he'll run for the hills.

Regular Cast

Lucille Ball (Lucy Carter), Gale Gordon (Harrison Otis Carter), Lucie Arnaz (Kim Carter)

Guest Cast

Robert Cummings (Bob Collins) was born in 1910 in Joplin, Missouri. His godfather was the aviation pioneer Wilbur Wright, so naturally he got his pilot’s license and studied aeronautical engineering. After the stock market crash of 1929, he gave flying up to study drama in New York City, making his Broadway debut in 1931. In 1934 he moved to Hollywood and started making films. During World War II he was a captain in the Air Force Reserves. His television career kicked off in 1952, winning an Emmy for his role in the series “My Hero.” Starting in 1955, Cummings starred on a successful NBC sitcom, "The Bob Cummings Show” (aka “Love That Bob”), in which he played Bob Collins (the same character name he uses in this episode of “Here's Lucy”), an ex–World War II pilot who became a successful photographer. The show ended in July 1959, just a few months prior to filming “The Ricardos Go To Japan” the penultimate episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour.” Cummings returned to “Here's Lucy” for an episode in season 5. Cummings was married five times and fathered seven children. He died in 1990 at the age of 80.

Bob Collins graduated from Carnegie Tech and is a field representative for a cosmetics company. He enjoys dancing.

Mary Jane Croft (Mary Jane Lewis) played Betty Ramsey during season six of “I Love Lucy. ” She also played Cynthia Harcourt in “Lucy is Envious” (ILL S3;E23) and Evelyn Bigsby in “Return Home from Europe” (ILL S5;E26). She played Audrey Simmons on “The Lucy Show” but when Lucy Carmichael moved to California, she played Mary Jane Lewis, the actor’s married name and the same one she uses on all 31 of her episodes of “Here’s Lucy. Her final acting credit was playing Midge Bowser on “Lucy Calls the President” (1977). She died in 1999 at the age of 83.

Billy Sands (Mr. Larson, the Milkman) returns to the role of Lucy's Milkman from “Lucy's Lucky Day” (S4;E15). Sands began his professional acting career in 1946 when he appeared on Broadway with Spencer Tracy in Robert Sherwood’s Rugged Path, but he eventually became a television character actor who appeared regularly as Dino Papparelli on “The Phil Silvers Show” and as ‘Tinker’ Bell on “McHale’s Navy.” He will make one more appearance on “Here’s Lucy” (but not as the milkman).

Larry J. Blake (Fire Chief, left) first appeared as a Native American Medicine Man in “Lucy the Rain Goddess” (TLS S4;E15). He was an ex-vaudevillian making the sixth of his eight “Here’s Lucy” appearances.

Orwin C. Harvey (Fireman, center) was an actor and stuntman who played one of the singing and dancing teamsters in “Lucy Helps Ken Berry” (TLS S6;E21). This is one of his six appearances on “Here’s Lucy.”

Sid Gould (Fireman, right) made more than 45 appearances on “The Lucy Show,” and nearly as many on “Here’s Lucy.” Gould (born Sydney Greenfader) was Lucille Ball’s cousin by marriage to Gary Morton.

The script for this episode was dated October 6, 1971. It was filmed on October 28, 1971.

The title may have been inspired by the Charlie Chaplin silent film “Tillie’s Punctured Romance” (1914), remade in 1928 with W.C. Fields. It may have also inspired “Fester’s Punctured Romance,” a 1964 episode of “The Addams Family.”

In his book I Had A Ball: My Friendship with Lucille Ball, Michael Z. Stern recounts when he attended the filming of this episode in 1972.

The date this episode was originally aired, film director Walter Lang died at age 75. He had directed Lucille Ball (who was uncredited) in two films in 1935: Carnival and Hooray for Love. In 1957 Lang was nominated for an Oscar for directing The King and I.

As the episode opens, Mary Jane is sitting on the living room sofa reading the November 1968 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. In “Redecorating the Mertzes' Apartment” (ILL S3;E8), Lucy Ricardo says she got the idea to hold a painting party from reading Better Homes and Gardens. The magazine got plenty of airtime because the writers felt bad after making a ‘Better Homes and Garbage’ joke in “Men Are Messy” (ILL S1;E8).

In the Carter living room, the large gold-framed mirror on the landing has temporarily been replaced by an ornate cuckoo clock in order to make the final gag pay off. If the clock looks familiar, it was formerly in a home of “The Munsters” (1964-66) at 1313 Mockingbird Lane. The raven has been replaced by a cardinal, but it is otherwise identical. Both “Here’s Lucy” and “The Munsters” were filmed at Universal Studios. [Thanks to Lucy fan Bill Graff for spotting this!] In 1957, the same clock was seen on “Those Whiting Girls” - a Desilu production.

Also, just for this episode, the French doors in the living room can only be opened by banging on the wall above the fireplace mantle.

Lucille Ball’s ‘showgirl style’ entrance down the stairs gets a round of applause from the studio audience. Mary Jane admires her new outfit. Lucy and Bob (her new boyfriend) ‘met cute’ in the supermarket when she dropped her knockwurst and he dropped his sauerkraut.

The studio audience is very enthusiastic, also bursting into spontaneous applause for Bob’s entrance, Mary Jane’s exit, and the end of scene 1.

MILKMAN: “Cross my heart and hope to die. May my sweet cream curdle if I tell a lie.”

Mr. Larson the milkman reports that the Wilsons down the street are splitting up. Larson says his wife calls him her “homogenized Walter Winchell.” Walter Winchell (1897-1972) was a journalist and radio host who was the narrator of “The Untouchables.” His voice was heard (uncredited) in the 1949 Lucille Ball film Sorrowful Jones and “Lucy the Gun Moll” (TLS S4;E25). His name was in the lyrics of the Desi Arnaz song “We're Having A Baby” sung on “Lucy is Enceinte” (ILL S2;E10). Winchell died just two weeks after this episode first aired.

Mr. Larson awkwardly used the ‘modern lingo’ with Kim:

Pad (apartment)

Swinger (wolf)

Splitsville (break up)

Kim calls Bob a “Cut-Rate Casanova”. Giacomo Girolamo Casanova (1725-1798) was an Italian adventurer and memoirist who’s name became synonymous with a man who seduces multiple women. Coincidentally, in "The Gossip” (ILL S1;E24), the milkman was labeled a “cottage cheese Casanova”!

In order to convince Bob Collins that the Carters are crazy, Kim and Harry do the following:

Convince Lucy that Collins is partially deaf, reads lips and has a hearing aid in his cuff links.

Pretend that Lucy has been married six times by prominently placing her wedding gown in the hall closet.

Having Kim make inappropriate advances on Collins while sitting on his lap.

Spiking Collins' hors d'oeuvres with a concoction of Tabasco sauce, cayenne pepper, hot mustard and chili pepper.

“Lucy is just a deaf alcoholic who's been married six times!”

Even after they confess their deceit, things get even crazier when Mary Jane shows up dressed as a chicken, Lucy banging on the wall to open the doors sets off the phonograph and the cuckoo clock, and Lucy burns the roast causing the fire department to smash the front door glass.

A flustered Mary Jane makes it clear to Bob that she is unmarried by stressing that she is MISS Lewis. Miss Lewis was also the name of a single lady who lived at 623 East 68th Street, played by Bea Benadaret in “Lucy Plays Cupid” (ILL S1;E15).

Lucy says that Bob Collins tangos better than Rudolph Valentino. The dance was responsible for the longest laugh in “I Love Lucy” history in “Lucy Does the Tango” (ILL S6;E20). Heartthrob actor of the silent era Rudolph Valentino was also mentioned in that episode. Valentino was one of Mrs. McGillicuddy's favorite screen stars and was mentioned in “The Hedda Hopper Story” (ILL S4;E20) and “The Homecoming” (ILL S5;E6).

This is the first time that Lucy has had a boyfriend since Tony Rivera (Cesar Romero) in “A Date for Lucy” (S1;E19). Lucille Ball had no plans for Lucy Carter (or Lucy Carmichael) to have a serious relationship.

Robert Cummings played himself in a 1959 episode of “The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour” set in Japan.

A cuckoo clock played an integral role in “The Kleptomaniac” (ILL S1;E27). Lucy hid the clock under her coat - but the ‘cuckoo’ nearly gave her away!

A milkman (Bobby Jellison) was the conveyor of "The Gossip” (ILL S1;E24) about the marriage of the Ricardo’s neighbors Grace and Bill Foster.

Trying to make her mother out to be undesirable, Kim says that Lucy has always married men who’s last name begins with ‘C’ so she doesn’t have to change the monogram on her luggage! Is this a reference to “The Lucy Show”’s widow, Mrs. Carmichael? Other folks named Collins in the Lucy-verse include:

Kitty Collins - Lucille Ball’s character in the 1936 film Follow The Fleet

Sylvia Collins - an unseen character on “I Love Lucy”

Dr. Collins - Mr. Mooney’s eye doctor on “The Lucy Show”

Mr. Collins - Manager of Stacey’s Department Store on “The Lucy Show”

Eddie Collins - Viv’s boyfriend on “The Lucy Show”

Pat Collins - the ‘hip’ hypnotist on “The Lucy Show”

FAST FORWARD

Lucy would finally become Lucy Collins in a 1975 special titled “Lucy Gets Lucky” co-starring Dean Martin and set in Las Vegas.

Character Consistency! Two episodes earlier Kim moved out of the house into a garage apartment nearby. But in this episode she is apparently still living at home.

Fur Blur! When Lucy comes from the closet after retrieving her stole, the camera momentarily goes out of focus.

Props! On the bookshelves behind Lucy's head, a small ceramic vase has been tipped over by some books. This was probably caused when the finale with Lucy banging on the wall and the picture frames falling was rehearsed before filming.

No Stove Is A Floating Island! In the kitchen, the counter top island has been awkwardly moved out of the way to make room for Lucy’s tango and give better sight lines of the refrigerator. This island also holds the cook top range, so it would be technically impossible for it to be un-grounded by electric wires or a gas hookup!

Cap Redact! The first letter of the name of the milkman’s dairy (mostly illegible) is covered with white tape. This was likely done to avoid any legal action by a company with the same name.

Let Yourself Out? When Kim marches into the living room to have a heart-to-heart talk with her mother about Bob, she leaves the milkman alone in the kitchen!

Wardrobe! Kim’s picnic table skirt does not have pockets, so there is a conspicuous pouch sewn to her waist in a slightly different pattern in order to hold the small bottle of spices she intends to use to spice up Bob’s hors d'oeuvres.

Plot Loops! Mr. Larson thinks Bob Collins is a wolf because girls are seen coming and going from his home and he orders five quarts of orange juice daily. He reasons some people mix orange juice with liquor for wild parties. At the end of the episode, the girls are explained by his being a cosmetics distributor but the orange juice surplus is never explained. He may not be a wolf, but he might be a lush!

“Lucy’s Punctured Romance” rates 3 Paper Hearts out of 5

In this episode, the roles of mother and daughter are reversed, giving Lucie Arnaz a larger and more commanding role. This fits in with plans for her to launch a spin-off series after the end of season 4. Lots of sight gags in this episode. The living room runs amok in a very visual (but not very character-driven) finale. Mary Jane in a chicken suit.

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rora-s · 4 years ago

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The Derivative Chapter 12: Tests

Chapter 1 <- Chapter 11

I let off a breath closing one text book I’d finished and moving to the next. “You know there’s a difference between learning and memorizing right?” Amita pointed out with a scoff glancing at me over top her laptop screen.

“I am aware. One is knowing the other is understanding but for me they can understandably get intermingled” I explained as I began to go through the next book.

Amita nodded “you’re really stressing about this test you have to do for school huh?”

“Well it is kinda a big deal. The whole prospect of my graduating early is riding on it. That and me getting accepted into college” I explained.

“Oh really what are you looking to study?” Amita inquired.

“Mathematics like my uncle probably, maybe something a bit more hands on to” I explained.

“You know combinatorics is a great field” she offered.

I scoffed “if you don’t say so yourself”

We both giggled “seriously though you should look at applying for CalSci. You could stay local. They have a history of accepting young brilliant minds and programs especially made for those who have spotty school records.”

“You know Larry was saying something similar before” I voiced “maybe I will think about it.”

“Plus I’ve been considering staying at CalSci longer to get my second PhD in physics so you’d have another friendly face on campus other than Charlie and Larry”

“Seriously?” I thought about hanging around CalSci with the brainiac trio. “That sounds really cool”

“I think it’d be cool too and we could take you on a tour of the campus sometime even, you know, show you around” Amita offered.

I smiled “yeah that’d be great”

Just then my friend's phone went off and she answered it “hello? … yeah sure I’ll be right there.” she hung up and started packing her things. “Charlie needs my help for a case with Don.” she informed.

“I can come-”

“He said specifically not to bring you even if you asked. Sorry” Amita told me sympathetically.

“Ugh eighteen can not come soon enough” I groaned.

“There, there” Amita murmured teasingly, patting me on the shoulder as she headed out of the house.

______________________________

“You know when you offered to take me on a campus tour I thought I’d see more than the computer lab” I voiced as the trio finished retesting their flight route math for a third time in the CalSci computer lab.

“I’m sorry but this is very important for the case Don’s working on�� Charlie breathed out then thought for a minute “by the way I would appreciate you not telling him I allowed you to help with this math”

“Don’t worry Uncle C, unlike some people I can keep a secret” I muttered. The man shot me a look but let the subject go as we all mulled over what we might have missed.

“I don’t get it,” Uncle Charlie declared finally from his seat on the table behind where Amita was working. “The aircraft should have originated from an airfield that the FBI checked out”

“Maybe they didn’t use an airfield” I suggested from where I sat next to the computer. “Like a highway or something”

“Well then there would have been witnesses” Amita pointed out to the contrary.

“You know, here’s where I get reductive on your ass,” Larry spoke up standing “cause you keep saying aircraft but so far no one’s been able to identify whatever it was that people saw.”

“What are you saying, Larry?” Amita questioned.

“I’m saying instead of building a flight path, let’s try focusing on the object itself,” Larry suggested.

“You know what?” Charlie spoke up, hopping off his table “he’s right.”

“Wait, you're agree that it could be a UFO?” I inquired of my uncle.

“No, but focusing on the craft might yield better results.” The man explained coming over “We could get a visual of the object by building in all the radar sources at the same time, yes, civilian and military.”

“So overlap the radar sources?” Amita clarified as she began to type into the computer.

“That’s right” Charlie confirmed “by layering the images we could build a three dimensional cross section of it”

Amita typed on the computer for a moment and we all leaned in to see “there” she finally declared “now it’s working off of all seven radar sources.”

“And it’s building an image of the object,” Larry added.

We watched as slowly an image began to appear. What we saw looked surprisingly Sci-fi. “Charlie? Is that what I think it is?” Amita inquired.

“Larry I’m sorry I doubted you” I muttered.

“Now, le-let’s be very, very careful” Charlie stammered “we shouldn’t jump to any conclusions or make any assumptions. There could be any number of reasons why that looks like-”

“A vehicle from another part of the universe” Larry finished Charlie’s statement.

___________

3rd POV.

“Hey Charlie” Don greeted his brother knocking on the door to the office space the professor was using in the library.

“Hey” the young brother replied, writing on a piece of paper.

“What’s up?”

“Just grading tests for my Nonlinear Dynamics class.” Charlie informed.

“Glad to see you’re taking my advice and having some fun” Don commented.

“Well, you don’t look like you’ve been having too much fun” the younger brother pointed out, eyeing his brother as Don sat down.

Don sighed “aw man this Gosnell case. Not to mention Abby has to take that test today in school to see if she can get out early.”

“I’m sure she’ll pass” Charlie reassured “and you know Amita’s already talked her into applying for CalSci”

“Yeah I’m just stressed on her behalf I guess” the older brother explained “and anyway with this case I just had to tell a guy that his dad died” Don let off another breath slouching in his seat.

Charlie put down his pencil and turned to give his brother more of his attention “I spent all that time trying to figure out where the plane went. Turns out the pilot didn’t even know, because the rudder was busted.”

“See, that’s the thing” Don explained “I got to find out where he was headed, ‘cause I think that’s why he was killed. You got any ideas? Anything at all?”

Charlie sighed packing up his papers and standing “maybe. Could I, uh could I get some data off the flight recorder?”

“Yeah, I mean, I can see if, uh, Erica can drop some by.” Don offered. “Maybe Amita can help you out” A small smile came to Charlie’s face at the suggestion and Don couldn’t help the knowing grin that came to his face. “Dad said she’s sticking around.”

“Did he?” Charlie asked, turning to his brother.

“Well, you happy about that?” Don inquired.

“Um, are you asking me as her thesis advisor or..?” Charlie ended with a slight chuckle.

Don scoffed at the blush forming on his younger brother’s features “you tell me”

“Yeah, I’m happy,” Charlie admitted.

They were quiet for a moment then another thought occured to Don “hey, what’s the deal I thought you were playing golf today.”

“Oh no.” Charlie quickly replied “you know, I’m really no use on the golf course.”

Don sat up as his brother took the seat across from him again “Charlie you know why he likes playing with you, don’t you?”

“I have no idea” Charlie voiced “because I-I’ve got to be the worst golfer in the history of the game”

Don shook his head surprised that his genius of a little brother could be so clueless sometimes “No. it’s the one time he gets to teach you something. You understand?” he explained “I mean I’m learning for myself that it’s not easy raising a genius. That’s his one time” Don wasn’t sure Charlie got what he was saying but just then his phone went off “oh excuse me” he stood up to take the call. “Eppes”

“Don” David’s voice answered “the forensic report from Gosnell’s workshop just came in. We found David Croft’s fingerprints all over the shop.”

“But I thought you said he hadn’t seen him in years” Don questioned confused.

“And so he said” David replied

“All right, look, uh, take a team, pick him up” Don instructed, rubbing his forehead and the bridge of his nose with his hand “I’ll meet you at the office, okay?”

“You got it,” David agreed before hanging up.

Don pocketed his phone again “alright kid I got to go. See you later” he called to Charlie who nodded his farewell before Don was out the door.

_________

“I pass the dang test and as a reward I get to come out here and watch you all golf in this heat” Abby complained “that’s so not fair”

“Ah come on kid a little exercise never hurt anybody” Don objected “maybe you could try it out for yourself”

“No thank you” the teenager replied edgily heading toward the bench with her backpack full of reading material.

“Where’s Chuck?” Don asked, realizing his younger brother was not in sight.

“I don’t know last I looked, he was right behind us.” Alan replied looking around. “Oh there he is” he voiced when they spotted the younger man coming up to the bench at another angle.

“Hey dad,” Charlie called, dragging his clubs up the incline. “Your clubs weigh a ton”

“Are you kidding, I've used those clubs for ten years” Alan replied looking in his own golf bag as Abby made herself comfortable on the bench. “There’s nothing wrong with them”

“Dad, they’re older than he is,” Don pointed out, going over to look in Charlie’s bag. “I don’t even think they make wood clubs anymore.”

“Yeah I know” Alan said “but each one of ‘em’s got a great sweet spot.”

“Put ‘em in a museum,” Don commented.

“Eh, when Charlie gets better, I’ll buy him a set of his own” Alan offered.

“Well isn’t that encouraging” Abby muttered already part way through the novel on her lap.

“Come on, Charlie, maybe this is the day you’ll par a hole.” Alan suggested.

“I’d just like to get the ball in the hole. That’s all” Charlie stated as Don came over to sit next to his daughter on the bench.

“So you passed the test” Don spoke to his kid as Alan talked to his. “What’s next?”

“I wait and hope CalSci accepts me,” Abby declared looking up from her book. “But who knows if that’s going to happen.”

“Well aren’t you pessimistic” Don muttered.

“Well Donald I had to get it from somewhere” Abby replied with a smirk.

“Yeah your mother” Don stated with a slight grin.

“Funny she said the same thing about you” Abby advised and the pair shared a laugh as Charlie came over to join them.

“Alright Alan show us how it’s done” Don called to his father and the three watched as the eldest among them swung the golf club.

Chapter 13 ->

#numb3rs #numb3rs season 1 #Don Eppes #Charlie Eppes #alan eppes #amita ramanujan #larry fleinhardt #fanfiction #don is a dad #abby calvin #episode per chapter #episode related #also posted on ao3 #also posted on quotev

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mightystargazer · 5 years ago

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Another year gone, another readinglist done!

W. Michael Gear Outpost

W. Michael Gear Abandoned

Angela Carter The Bloody Chamber

Sue Burke Semiosis

Rob Dircks Don't Touch the Blue Stuff!

Laurie Forest the iron flower

Joseph Nassise urban Enemies: a collection

Ezekiel Boone The Mansion

Richtel, Matt Dead on Arrival

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and the Blood

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Curse

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes & The Gold Digger

Wilkie Martin Inspector Hobbes and The Bones

A. American Home Coming

Adam J. Wright Lost Soul

Adam J. Wright Buried Memory

Adam J. Wright Dark Magic

Adam J. Wright Dead Ground

Adam J. Wright Shadow Land

Robert Bevan Critical Failures VI

Darynda Jones Grave on the Right

Darynda Jones Grave on the Left

Darynda Jones Third Grave Dead Ahead

Darynda Jones Grave Beneath My Feet

Darynda Jones Grave Past the Light

Darynda Jones Grave on the Edge

Darynda Jones Grave and No Body

Darynda Jones Grave After Dark

Darynda Jones Brighter Than the Sun

Darynda Jones Dirt on Ninth Grave

Darynda Jones The Curse of Tenth Grave

Darynda Jones Eleventh Grave in Moonlight

Dan Simmons The Terror

Warren Fahy Fragment

Tim McBain The Scattered and the Dead

Scott Thomas Kill Creek

Kurt Anderson Resurrection Pass

Larry Correia Son of the Black Sword

Larry Correia House of Assassins

Chuck Wendig Blackbird

Chuck Wendig Mockingbird

Chuck Wendig The Cormerant

Chuck Wendig Thunderbird

Karen Thompson Walker The Dreamers

Hank Green An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

C.T. Phipps The Tournament of Supervillainy 5

Peter Clines 14

Peter Clines The Fold

Peter Clines Dead Moon

Sean Schubert Infection

Sean Schubert Containment

Sean Schubert Mitigation

Sean Schubert Resolution

James Marshall Smith Hybrid

Mark Tufo Demon Wars

Alan Dean Foster Interlopers

Anthony Melchiorri The Tide

Anthony Melchiorri Breakwater

Anthony Melchiorri Salvage

Anthony Melchiorri Deadrise

Anthony Melchiorri Iron Wind

Anthony Melchiorri Dead Ashore

Anthony Melchiorri Ghost Fleet

Anthony Melchiorri Devil to Pay

Scott Medbury Heel Week

Scott Medbury On The Run

Scott Medbury Cold Comfort

Scott Medbury Rude Shock

Terry Pratchett/Neil Gaiman Good omens

Barry J. Hutchison The Sidekicks Initiative

Catherynne M. Valente The Refrigerator Monologues

Ike Hamill Super Apex

J.H. Moncrieff Monsters in Our Wake

John Connolly The Underbury Witches

Jonathan Maberry Dead of Night

Lydia Kang Quackery

Tomi Adeyemi Children of Blood and Bone

Thomas Morris The Mystery of the Exploding Teeth

John A.Keel The Complete Guide To Mysterious Beings

Ted Dekker ADAM

Richard K. Morgan Altered Carbon

Ransom Riggs A Map of Days

Kevin Hearne Death & Honey

Benjamin Wallace Boom box 1

Benjamin Wallace Boom box 2

Benjamin Wallace Boom box 3

Benjamin Wallace Revenge of the Apocalypse

Victor LaValle The Changeling

Rick Chesler Sawfish

Nathan Barnes The Reaper Virus

Michael brent Collings The Deep

Bill Heavey If You Didn't Bring Jerky, What Did I Just Eat

Bill Heavey It's Only Slow Food Until You Try to Eat It

Bill Heavey Should the Tent Be Burning Like That

Jenny Lawson Let's Pretend This Never Happened

Mark Tufo The Spirit Clearing

Ambrose Ibsen Asylum

Ambrose Ibsen Forest

Ambrose Ibsen The Occupant

Stephen King The Man in the Black Suit

Sam Sykes The City Stained Red

Peter Meredith The Queen Unthroned

Peter Meredith The Queen Enslaved

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Red Line

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Horizon

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Edge

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Age

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Evolution

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction End

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Aftermath

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction Lost

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Extinction War

Nicholas Sansbury Smith Missions from the Extinction Cycle

Drew Hayes Super Powereds Year 4

Dean Koontz Odd Thomas

Patrick F McManus Kerplunk! Stories

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton

Mark Wayne McGinnis The Simpleton Quest

John Connolly A Book of Bones

Drew Hayes Corpies

Nathan Ballingrud Wounds

Michael Todd Torn Asunder

Michael Todd Killing Is My Business

Michael Todd And Business Is Good

Marty Ross The Darkwater Bride

Richard Porter Top Gear Epic Failures 50 Great Motoring Cock-Ups

Parker Peevyhouse The Echo Room

P. K. Hawkins Shark Infested Waters

M. R. James The Conception of Terror Tales

Broad Reach Publishing I, Zombie

Bobby Hall Supermarket

Terry Pratchett Night Watch

Patrick F McManus Never Sniff a Gift Fish

Michael Talbot The Bog

Michael Edelson Seed

Matthew Scott Hansen The Shadowkiller

Jonathan Maberry Ghost Road Blues

Jonathan Maberry Dead Man's Song

Jonathan Maberry Bad Moon Rising

Jonathan Maberry Property Condemned

Jonathan Maberry Darkness on the Edge of Town

Chris Angus Flypaper

Dean Koontz The Night Window

John P. Logsdon Platoon F Big Ass Bundle

Robert Tomoguchi The Scribbled Victims

Richard MacLean Smith Unexplained

Mark Edwards The Retreat

Dennis E. Taylor Outland

Bobby Adair Freedom's Siege

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fire

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fury

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fray

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fist

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fall

Bobby Adair Freedom's Fate

William Gibson Alien III

Terry Brooks Running with the Demon

Steven Campbell Hard Luck Hank

Neal Stephenson Reamde

Neal Stephenson Fall, or Dodge in Hell

J.F. Holmes Irregular Scout Team One

Michael Stephen Fuchs Odyssey

Kameron Hurley The Light Brigade

TTC History of Ancient Egypt

Justin Cronin The Passage

Justin Cronin The Twelve

Justin Cronin The City of Mirrors

J.N. Chaney Orion Colony

J.N. Chaney Orion Uncharted

J.N. Chaney Orion Awakened

Christopher Dowell The Adventures of Badass Mike

Barry J. Hutchison Sentienced to Death

Adam Savage Every Tool's a Hammer

Rob Dircks Gigi Make Paradox

Eric Rickstad What Remains of Her

Robert Bevan 6d6

L. L. Akers Fight like a Man

L. L. Akers Shoot Like a Girl

L. L. Akers Run Like the Wind

Jonathan Mayberry Broken Lands

Alexander C. Kane Andrea Vernon and the Superhero-Industrial Complex

A.R. Shaw The China Pandemic

A.R. Shaw The Cascade Preppers

A.R. Shaw The Last Infidels mp3

A.R. Shaw The Malefic Nation

A.R. Shaw The Bitter Earth

Jim C. Hines Terminal Uprising

Mark Tufo Dog Days of War

Rick Gualtieri Get Bent!

Brian Keene Darkness on the Edge of Town

Christopher Moore Practical Demonkeeping

Christopher Moore The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

Christopher Moore The Stupidest Angel

Chuck Wendig Wanderers

John Connolly Conquest

John Connolly Empire

John Connolly Dominion

C. J. Tudor The Taking of Annie Thorne

Wellington, David The Last Astronaut

S. Bennett A Womans Journey with the Worlds Worst Behaved Dog

Levi Black Red Right Hand

Levi Black Black Goat Blues

Eoin Colfer Artemis Fowl

Eoin Colfer The Arctic Incident

Eoin Colfer The Eternity Code

Eoin Colfer The Opal Deception

Eoin Colfer The Lost Colony

Eoin Colfer The Time Paradox

Eoin Colfer The Atlantis Complex

Eoin Colfer The Last Guardian

Ambrose Ibsen Transmission

Daniel Green End Time

Daniel Green The Breaking

Daniel Green The Rising

Patrick F McManus The Bear in the Attic

Mark Tufo Encounters

Mark Tufo Reckoning

Mark Tufo Conquest

Mark Tufo From the Ashes

Mark Tufo Into the Fire

Mark Tufo Victory's Defeat

Mark Tufo Defeat's Victory

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James D. Prescott Extinction Code

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Jack Townsend Tales from the Gas Station

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Scott Sigler Infected

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Scott Baron Bad Luck Charlie

Scott Baron Space Pirate Charlie

Scott Baron The Dragon Mage

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wkdt420 · 5 years ago

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I'm so excited about this one. Madd love and Big Congrats to everyone. @retired_guy38 (actor) and @cmr365 (exec prod) Awesome job guys. ************* Glad to be apart of this project. Premiers Sept. 26th #Repost @cmr365 with @get_repost ・・・ ⁣⁣ Trombone Jones will be having its world premiere at the WideScreen Film Fest in Las Vegas on Sept 26th. ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Trombone Jones is a short silent film about a US Marine turned trombonist, battling PTSD. Part of this film's goal is to raise awareness of PTSD and help eliminate the stigma of mental illness.⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ Link in the bio to see the official trailer and learn more! ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ A humble thanks to the outstanding cast and crew!⁣!⁣ ⁣ ⁣ 🎭 CAST ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ TROMBONE JONES⁣⁣ Tyran Cosby⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ GRACE⁣⁣ Alexa Rachelle Jennings⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ BAR OWNER⁣⁣ Bryan Phillip Clark⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ OLDER VETERAN⁣⁣ James C. Pierce⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ EMPLOYER⁣⁣ Miko Evans⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🎬 CREW ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ CINEMATOGRAPHER⁣⁣ Reid Stegall⁣⁣ Xanik Xeus⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ EDITOR⁣⁣ Eldra Flowers⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ COLORIST⁣⁣ Devon Harding⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ EXECUTIVE PRODUCER⁣⁣ Luther Rutledge⁣⁣ Chris M. Rutledge⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ PRODUCER⁣⁣ Chris M. Rutledge⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ASSOCIATE PRODUCER⁣⁣ Otis Dominique⁣⁣ Diana Adelberg⁣⁣ Melvyn Heard⁣⁣ Jerry Hawkins⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ SET DECORATOR⁣⁣ Diana Adelberg⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ SOUND DESIGNER⁣⁣ Eldra Flowers⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ MUSIC BY⁣⁣ Eric M Gilkey⁣⁣ Ken Jones⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ HAIR & MAKEUP⁣⁣ Sakeitha King⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ COSTUME DESIGNER⁣⁣ Alison Fields⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ SCRIPT SUPERVISOR⁣⁣ Paris Croft⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ STILL PHOTOGRAPHER⁣⁣ Lorenzo Arritola⁣⁣ Sarah Marisa Newman⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ PRODUCTION ASSISTANT⁣⁣ Lorenzo Arritola⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ WRITER / DIRECTOR⁣⁣ Chris M. Rutledge⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ 🎵 SOUNDTRACK⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ "Vibranium Soul"⁣⁣ Written by Eric M Gilkey ⁣⁣ Performed by Eric M Gilkey, Royce Harrington-Turner, Brecan Bland⁣, Larry Brown Jr.⁣⁣ Produced by Jasson Harrold ⁣⁣⁣ Recorded by Aku Ra Dwom at Aku Ra Dwom Studios⁣⁣ ⁣⁣ "Don’t Go"⁣⁣ Written by Eric M Gilkey⁣⁣ Performed by Eric M Gilkey, Larry Brown Jr., Elisa Latrice, Enos Watts⁣⁣ Produced by Jasson Harrold ⁣⁣ Recorded by Aku Ra Dwom at Aku Ra Dwom Studios⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ ⁣⁣⁣⁣ #trombonejonesfilm #indiefilm #blackfilm #silentfilm #blackfilmmakers #marines #ptsd #mentalhealthawareness #jazz #musician #jazzmusic #milesdavis #johncoltrane #ellafitzgerald #billieholiday https://www.instagram.com/p/B2tyYfEnoIx/?igshid=o4cujiwjj1sy

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viralhottopics · 8 years ago

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Why the Halo Movie Failed to Launch

The Master Chiefs left the offices of Creative Artists Agency around midday on June 6, 2005, in a fleet of limo vans. In their green, red and blue Spartan armour the cybernetically-enhanced super soldiers made quite a spectacle. Each stood six-foot-three tall, visored helmets obscuring their faces. Each carried a red bound document folder stamped with the CAA logo that contained two things: a copy of the Halo screenplay commissioned by Microsoft and written by Alex Garland and a terms sheet. None of them spoke a word.

The security guards on the gates of the major motion picture studios are used to seeing many things. Still, a hulking soldier from the future striding towards them and demanding access to the studios top brass was inevitably going to end in some kind of shooting incident — whether involving a United Nations Space Command BR55 Battle Rifle or a security guards arguably more deadly .38 revolver.

Fortunately Larry Shapiros team at CAA had called ahead and warned the studios security heads what was going on. The Master Chiefs were allowed onto the lots at Universal, Fox, New Line, DreamWorks and others without firing a single shot. If this was the videogame industry literally invading Hollywood, it was remarkably bloodless. They delivered their scripts and waited outside the meetings rooms in silent character, flicking through the pages of Variety. Everyone knew the clock was ticking: Studio executives only had a couple of hours to read the Halo screenplay and decide whether or not to make an offer before the Master Chiefs returned to CAA with the screenplay. It was the deal of the century, and a fantastic piece of showmanship.

The Master Chief suits were Shapiros idea and they ensured that the Halo deal made headlines even before the trade papers learned how rich the demands were. It was a spectacular attempt to turn Microsofts first foray into Hollywood filmmaking into a theatrical event and it very almost worked. Master Chief, the hero of Microsoft and Bungies bestselling Halo games, made his debut in Hollywood. Sadly, though, his Tinsel Town ascension was short-lived.

Microsoft was aggressive in pursuing the idea of taking Halo to the big screen. Its easy to understand why. The games, developed by Bungie Studios, were perfect blockbuster material: high-octane, intense sci-fi shoot em ups with a dense mythology and storyline and a dedicated fan-base of millions. Combined sales of the first two Halo games grossed in excess of $600 million over four years, selling north of 13 million units. The movie biz looked on in envy.

When Microsoft approached CAA about their movie ambitions, Shapiro told them about the Day After Tomorrow auction set up by CAA agent Michael Wimer and director Roland Emmerich. With a script for the apocalyptic eco-movie in hand, Wimer called the major studios and invited them to bid for it. The process was unusual: Every studio would send a messenger to CAA at an allotted time, pick up the script and then have 24 hours to read it and make an offer. Each script was despatched with a terms sheet: Heres how much we want; heres how much we want for the director, and it has to be a go movie (in other words, a picture with a guaranteed start date for production). Each studio responded by trying to negotiate terms. The only exception was Fox, who simply wrote on the term sheet: Yes.

Microsoft, unaccustomed to Hollywoods culture, was impressed by that story. It wanted to be able to dictate the terms even though it was a newcomer in the movie biz. Halo was its prize property and they wanted to protect it.

Microsoft was entering into negotiations brandishing a very big stick.

Microsoft also wanted to make a bundle of money from its sale. For Shapiro, it was typical of the gulf between the two industries. Games creators are, by their nature, engineers who deal in absolutes. For them the subtleties of Hollywood production, with its ebb-and-flow of egos and power plays, were often alien. To sell a movie into a studio and actually get it made is a lot of work, he says. It takes a lot of conversations and a lot of pixie dust being thrown about while youre getting the deals done. In the games industry, theyre technologists and theyre data driven. Theyre looking at data points and saying: We need the movie to be made, its got to be this, this and this. If you get A, B and C to be part of the movie, then great well sell you the rights. You cant do that. But, if thats what Microsoft wanted, CAA was willing to try.

To set up that kind of deal, Microsoft needed to be ready. Most importantly it needed to have a screenplay so it paid Alex Garland (28 Days Later, The Beach) $1 million to pen a spec script. The screenplay was supervised by Microsoft, which meant it was — for good or ill — heavily steeped in the games mythology. Still, the project now had a blockbuster screenwriter and was based on a high-profile videogame franchise.

Next, it was a case of setting up the auction. Peter Schlessel, the former president of production at Columbia Pictures, was one of the main negotiators in the Halo movie deal and served as Microsofts Hollywood liaison. Together with Microsoft and its lawyers, Schlessel and the CAA team hammered out a term sheet. We were literally setting out to be the richest, most lucrative rights deal in history in Hollywood, says Shapiro. You have to remember that no property, not even Harry Potter, was getting [what we were asking for]. Microsoft, a global software giant used to getting its own way, wasnt about to kowtow to Hollywood. It knew Halo was the jewel of videogame movies, the one that could be a true blockbuster hit. According to Variety, Microsoft wanted $10 million against 15% of the box office gross, in addition to a $75 million below-the-line budget and fast-tracked production.

Those were big demands. Not least of all since, at the time, videogame movies were still floundering on the edge of respectability. Tomb Raider had made a pot of money and pushed towards the mainstream but its 2003 sequel, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider — The Cradle of Life, suffered a disappointing opening weekend at the U.S. box office and limped by on its foreign grosses. The Lara Croft franchise was running out of steam early. And most other videogame movie outings werent even in the same neighbourhood as Lara. Paul W. S. Anderson, the director of Mortal Kombat, parlayed his success into the zombie-themed Resident Evil franchise distributed by Sony Screen Gems. The first movie based on Capcoms survival horror game series took $102 million worldwide and did gangbuster business on DVD selling over a million units. But it lacked the prestige and mainstream crossover potential of Tomb Raider.

Microsoft were aiming higher — much, much higher. CAAs deal-making matched the software giants aspirations. According to the New York Times, Microsoft were demanding creative approval over director and cast, plus 60 first-class plane tickets for Microsoft personnel and their guests to attend the premiere. It wouldnt be putting any money into the production itself beyond the fee paid to Garland, nor was it willing to sign over the merchandising rights. To add insult to injury, Microsoft wanted the winning studio to pay to fly one of its representatives from Seattle to LA. They would watch every cut of the movie during post-production. Clearly, Microsoft was entering into negotiations brandishing a very big stick.

With the screenplay written and the ink still drying on the terms sheet, the agents called up the major studios and advised them to be prepared. It was a bold, some might say arrogant, show of power. As Shapiro remembers it, We told them: You need to have all your decision makers in a room because were going to deliver the script for you to read together with a terms sheet. But theres a fuse on it. Youll only have a certain amount of time to make a deal.

Master Chief in the upcoming game Halo 4. Image: Microsoft

Because Hollywood is a town built on relationships, CAAs agents made sure they called all the major players. Even then there were some who felt snubbed; Miramax head honcho Harvey Weinstein called up to shout about being left off the list. Everyone had assumed Miramax wouldnt be interested in the property. Truth was they probably werent, but there was prestige to be had in being invited to the Halo party. The only major studio Microsoft refused to approach was Columbia, which was owned by Sony, its chief rival in the console war.

With his production background, Shapiro decided to add a little razzle dazzle to the proceedings. Remembering the Master Chief costumes hed seen at Comic-Con, he tracked down the one person in the U.S. who was fabricating the games official Spartan UNSC battle armour and hired seven suits: a Red, a Blue and several in Master Chief green. I had them shipped out to CAA, recalls Shapiro, they came in crates and had instructions about how to put them on. I hired character actors to wear the suits because, you know, you dont just put anyone in these suits. They had to feel like Master Chief.

For a few hours on June 6, 2005, Hollywood became Halowood. Everyone was buzzing about the Master Chiefs spotted walking through the studio lots and — more importantly — about the richness of the deal Microsoft was demanding. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Microsoft, the global corporation whose products sat on every desktop, had come to Hollywood and wasnt afraid of throwing its weight around. If showmanship and arrogance and Hollywood dont go together, I dont know what does, says Moore who was Microsofts go-between with Universal during the negotiations, reporting to the software companys point man Steve Schreck.

Not everyone was impressed. Movie executive Alex Young, who by the time of Halo had moved from Paramount to Fox, recalls reading the screenplay under Master Chiefs watchful eye. It was one of those gimmicky Hollywood things: hey, force everybody to be in a room, make it feel urgent, have a guy show up in costume and Oh my God! This feels like a big deal. It probably served Microsoft and CAA well at the time, but ultimately it seemed like a bit of manufactured theatre to me. Another problem was that the Halo property was so well-known by that point that everyone knew what to expect. You either loved the idea of making a Halo movie or you did not, suggests Young. Having a guy in costume deliver the screenplay wasnt going to convince you one way or the other.

In the end, though, it wasnt the Master Chiefs fault that the deal stumbled. Nor was it CAAs. The failure of the Halo movie remains a potent illustration of the gulf that still lies between Hollywood and the videogame business. It should have been the tent-pole movie to die for, instead it became the one that got away. Millions of Halo fans around the world wanted a movie, yet it failed to launch. Partly, it stemmed from the on-going inability of both sides of the deal to understand each others culture, needs and language.

“When the videogame industry talks to people they do it open-kimono and they expect the same transparency back. Hollywood doesnt function that way.”

Most of the studios who read the Halo screenplay passed immediately. Microsofts terms were simply too demanding. By the end of Master Chief Monday there were only two horses in the race: Fox and Universal. Microsoft hoped to use each to leverage off the other but hadnt banked on the studios very different approach to doing business. What the games industry doesnt understand is that this town is all about lunch, explains Shapiro. It doesnt happen like that in the games industry. If there was a movie studio going out to the games publishers to license Avatar or something like that, theyd say Ok were licensing Avatar, send us your best deal. But none of the games publishers would talk to each other and say Hey, what are you going to offer them?

The studios werent so reticent in sounding each other out. What happened was Universal called Fox and asked them what they were going to offer, continues Shapiro, who watched events unfold close-up. They decided to partner on it. Lets offer the same deal and offer to partner. So now we lost our leverage. Universal agreed to take U.S. domestic, Fox would take foreign. In the blink of an eye Microsofts bargaining position had been pole-axed.

The immensely powerful Microsoft had wandered into the deal navely expecting everyone to play by its rules and the resulting culture shock put immense strain on the Halo deal. For Moore, then corporate vice-president of the Interactive Entertainment Business division at Microsoft, there was clearly culture clash during the negotiations: You work for a company like Microsoft, where you do what you say, you say what you do; you think you have an agreement, youre ready to go, and then… [the deal falls apart].

It was something that talent agents working at the intersection between the two industries have experienced many times. When the videogame industry talks to people they do it open-kimono and they expect the same transparency back, says Blindlights Lev Chapelsky. Hollywood doesnt function that way, they dance and they sing and they play games and go through their ritual haggling. To somebody whos not accustomed to that, it can be insulting.

Microsoft clearly werent accustomed to it. They were used to being the strongest contender in any negotiation they entered into. But this time they were far out of their comfort zone. We dont understand Hollywood, Microsoft Games Studios general manager Stuart Mulder confessed to the trade papers in 2002 as the company inked in its deal with Shapiro at CAA. It was a throwaway comment that would turn out to be disturbingly prophetic.

What was apparent during the Halo deal-making was that Microsoft was far from home, perhaps even surrounded in enemy territory. In the middle of the Halo negotiations, as all parties sat around the table, Shapiro recalls the discussion between Microsofts Hollywood liaison Peter Schlessel and Jimmy Horowitz, Universals co-president of production, taking an aggressive turn. Schlessel was getting really tough on some of the terms with Horowitz: Come on, dont be a jerk, blah, blah, blah…. It was getting really heated. The guy from Microsoft [Steve Schrek] was like, Wow, this is really good. Then we took a break and Schlessel goes to Horowitz, Are you coming over for Passover? Because they know each other. You dont have those kinds of relationships in videogames. In Hollywood you can be getting at each other but then youre playing golf together the next day.

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Even after the deal was struck, the misunderstanding over how the movie business operated continued to be a problem. Microsoft wanted a big-name director, but Peter Jackson, helmer on The Lord of the Rings trilogy, decided to sign on as a co-producer alongside Peter Schlessel, Mary Parent and Scott Stuber. Jackson wanted his new protg, an up-and-coming commercials whiz kid called Neill Blomkamp, to direct. With Jacksons fee running to several million dollars the studios knew there was an advantage in hiring a cheaper, less well-known talent to sit in the directors chair. Microsoft was reputedly not happy with the decision.

Blomkamp, a South African director who had made his mark with commercials for Nike and had shot an intriguing short about alien apartheid called Alive in Joburg, was concerned about getting chewed up and spat out while making his first feature with these three enormous corporations and a budget north of $100 million. My instinct was that if I crawled into that hornets nest it would be not good, and it was a clusterfuck from day one, he admits. Theres no question that there was a clash of worlds, for sure. The two sides werent seeing eye-to-eye.

What lured him in, beyond the obvious kudos, was his love for the property: I told Tom Rothman [co-Chairman of Fox Filmed Entertainment] that I was genetically created to direct Halo. However, Blomkamp quickly realised that the studio didnt share his artistic vision and was uncomfortable at the prospect of his gritty, post-cyberpunk aesthetic — all blurry video feeds and radio chatter – dominating a summer blockbuster. Rothman hated me, I think he would have gotten rid of me if he could have, says the director. The suits werent happy with the direction I was going. Thing was, though, Id played Halo and I play videogames. Im that generation more than they are and I know that my version of Halo would have been insanely cool. It was more fresh and potentially could have made more money than just a generic, boring film — something like G.I. Joe or some crap like that, that Hollywood produces.

Blomkamps relationship with Fox was particularly fraught. The way the deal was split between three major corporations and a handful of Hollywood producers caused several unusual imbalances in terms of power. The way Fox dealt with me was not cool. Right from the beginning, when Mary [Parent, Universals former president of production turned Halo producer] hired me up until the end when it collapsed, they treated me like shit; they were just a crappy studio. Ill never ever work with Fox ever again because of what happened to Halo – unless they pay me some ungodly amount of money and I have absolute fucking control.

He was also being pressured by Microsofts demands too. One of the biggest issues was creative control. Microsoft had paid Garland to pen the screenplay to their specifications in order to retain control over what was clearly a very valuable property to them. Halo was an Xbox exclusive title, a billion-dollar franchise, and its chief weapon in the console war against Sony. The problem was, though, that filmmaking was a collaborative exercise and total control simply wasnt possible.

If youre dealing with a company that doesnt understand the film industry, its sense of assurance comes with glossy names that have done a lot of big projects that have made a lot of money, says Blomkamp. I think the guys at Bungie liked what I was doing. Im fairly confident in saying they liked where I was going. Its highly possible that that artwork was getting back to Microsoft and Microsoft itself, the corporate entity, was not happy with it because it was too unconventional. I dont know if thats true or not, but it was entirely possible.

Against this fraught background, Universal funded $12 million of preliminary development on the movie. Some of the money was spent before Blomkamp came on-board by director Guillermo Del Toro, who was initially attached before going off to make Hellboy II: The Golden Army instead. The rest was spent on Blomkamps watch and included paying various screenwriters — Scott Frank, D.B. Weiss, Josh Olson — to redraft the original screenplay.

Meanwhile, Weta Workshop, the New Zealand physical effects company co-founded by Jackson, was fabricating real-life versions of the weapons, power armour and the Warthog assault vehicle from the game. Blomkamp would eventually use them to shoot a series of thrilling test shorts. The legacy of a movie never made, is how Moore describes the collected footage, which was later cut together under the title Halo: Landfall and used to promote the Halo 3 videogame release in 2007.

With development proving slow, Fox and Universal were beginning to get impatient. The gross heavy deal and costs increased the growing sense of unease. In October 2006, right before a payment was due to be made to the filmmakers and Microsoft, Universal demanded that the producers deals be cut. Jackson consulted with his co-producers and Blomkamp, as well as with Microsoft and Bungie, and refused. In a stroke, the Halo movie was pronounced dead in the water.

What ultimately killed the Halo movie was money. Microsofts unwillingness to reduce their deal killed the deal, says Shapiro. Their unwillingness to reduce their gross in the deal meant it got too top-heavy. That movie could have been Avatar.

Blomkamp agrees: One of the complicating factors with Halo was that Microsoft wasnt the normal party that youd go off and option the IP from and make your product. Because Microsoft is such an omnipresent, powerful corporation, they werent just going to sit back and not take a massive cut of the profits. When you have a corporation that potent and that large taking a percentage of the profits, then youve got Peter Jackson taking a percentage of the profits and you start adding all of that stuff up, mixed with the fact that you have two studios sharing the profits, suddenly the return on the investment starts to decline so that it becomes not worth making. Ultimately, thats essentially what killed the film.