'28 Days Later scriptwriter Alex Garland rumoured to be writing adaptation'

Entertainment magazine Variety is reporting that Microsoft has quietly done a million-dollar deal with Alex Garland, author of The Beach and the screenplay for 28 Days Later, to adapt the Halo games into one film.

Microsoft has neither confirmed or denied the report, issuing a carefully worded statement that, having trumpeted the series' success to date, states, "We have not, however, made any official movie announcements."

That Microsoft has denied making an announcement rather than doing a deal is interesting, but it may just be that the platform holder doesn't want to rule anything out - and is happy for the Halo series to garner yet more headlines in the aftermath of Halo 2's enormous success.

Whatever the truth, the prospect of Microsoft hiring someone of Garland's pedigree to transform the series is hugely promising and in stark contrast to films based on games in the past, which have often wound up in the hands of people ill-equipped to understand and convert them - faithfully or successfully.

Although the first Resident Evil film wasn't too awful, and the original Tomb Raider film put bums firmly on seats despite being fairly widely panned, little else has been handled with any real conviction - with German director Uwe Boll's continuing efforts to sign up various games for adaptation now a source of amusement amongst gamers more than anything else.

Getting somebody talented in to do the job and taking a hands-on approach is undoubtedly a positive step, and, although there's no guarantee this is any more than hot air, if there is something to this it ought to be applauded.