You may not know the name Stuart Beattie, but there is a decent chance you're familiar with his work, an even better one if you happened to go to the movies over this past weekend.

Beattie is the screenwriter for G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, as well as Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean, but those aren't the only projects he has had his hands in. Other projects he has been attached to include movies based on the video game franchises Halo and Spy Hunter.

During a recent interview, iFMagazine.com (via Kotaku) asked about the status of the two films. Of Halo, Beattie said:

"I turned in a draft, but there was no one [i.e. a studio] to turn a draft to. Microsoft needs to be a powerful filmmaker to give us those keys. I'm talking to powerful filmmakers to get them interested, because I think that would be a fantastic film."

Regarding whether or not Spy Hunter would still be happening, he says:

"I think Warner Bros. bought all the Midway games. I worked a script very hard with Dwayne Johnson. I loved that script. I hope one day they can make it. It's going to take a pretty big filmmakers. It's a big summer movie. It's a car that changes into all sorts of stuff. It has three great car chase in all parts of the world. I would like to see it done one day. Maybe they'll let me do it one day if it's still around, but it's looking for a filmmaker."

Elsewhere, IESB (again, via Kotaku) has a rumor that we could actually see a Halo film much sooner than expected, perhaps thanks in part to a particular big-name producer being attached to the project:

IESB has learned exclusively (believe me this is solid and I've confirmed it three times over with studio executives and our close ties to CAA) that one of the biggest producers in Hollywood history is currently in active negotiations to develop the feature film adaptation and no it's not Jerry Bruckheimer or Peter Jackson. It's the man behind Jaws, E.T., Indiana Jones and Transformers, Mr. Steven Spielberg.

Spielberg is blown away by writer Stuart Beattie's take on the game in his script entitled HALO THE FALL OF REACH. This coupled with the fact that his Dreamworks umbrella is looking for a big tent pole to help launch their newly independant studio with distribution over at Walt Disney Pictures after losing Transformers to Paramount in the separation, it's the perfect combination.

The article goes on to quote TransFormers and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull star Shia LeBeouf talking about how much Spielberg loves games, recalling a particular instance where he was stuck on BioShock.

"Word is CAA, who rep both Spielberg and Beattie, is pushing these negotiations heavily," IESB adds.

They post a blurb featuring some of a write-up Latino Review had on April Fool's Day, circa 2008:

The script is, first and foremost, a character-driven story about a soldier named John who was kidnapped or "conscripted" by the UNSC when he was just six years old, and then brutally trained to become an elite Spartan warrior known as Master Chief 117.

The script then takes us through the horrific first contact with the Covenant hordes on the doomed colony world of Harvest, and then climaxes with the spectacular fall of the UNSC forward base on Reach, during which every other Spartan is slaughtered.

The script also gives detailed outlines for the second movie, HALO: RISE OF THE FLOOD, which takes place entirely on the Halo ringworld, and the third and final movie, HALO: BATTLE FOR EARTH, which roughly follows the events of Halo 3, the game.

One cool advantage of this first script is that (like the shark in JAWS) you don't even see the Covenant until halfway through the movie. And because all the creatures are CGI creations, this cuts the budget down dramatically and makes a first Halo movie that much more viable. For Halo fans, it's like the prequel that provides all the answers to questions they've thought about for years. For non Halo fans, it's an exciting action movie that provides a clear, concise introduction to a world five hundred years in the future with relatable characters and a terrifying alien menace.

I was just about to leave the story there, but then one particular line near the bottom caught my eye, bringing with it a rather sobering thought:

"With Spielberg possibly in the producer's chair (if God willing these negotiations work out), who would be his first choice to direct HALO?"

Hrmm, I can just see it now:

Halo: A Michael Bay Film

Of course, if that were to happen, then I imagine we wouldn't see a whole lot of Master Chief after all.

Ah well, I hope this gets made. I'm also pulling for Spy Hunter, and it had better have the Peter Gunn theme.