That's one hell of a way to make a film debut.

Neill Blomkamp, praised for his work in short film and television, has been named to direct Microsoft's Halo movie.

Blomkamp, a native of South Africa, is likely best known for his direction of an episode of Dark Angel and his 2005 short film Alive in Joburg, a movie about extraterrestrials becoming refugees on earth.

The director has received a number of awards including three Clio Awards, an Emmy nomination and being named one of the top five directors to watch at the First Board Awards.

The Halo movie, set to hit in the summer of 2008, will be shot in Wellington, New Zealand and use executive producer Peter Jackson's production and a post-production facilities.

"As a gaming fan, I'm excited to bring Halo's premise, action and settings to the screen with all the specificity and reality today's technology can provide," said Jackson. "Fran and I are intrigued by the unique challenges this project offers, and we're delighted to be working again with our friends at Universal, and with our new ones at Fox and Microsoft. With Neill on board, I'm even more excited by the potential of this project."

Wow, 2008? I sure hope that doesn't mean that the game won't come out till then. Brian Crecente

Halo Director Names [Gamasutra]

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