Fan Favourite Halo Script Binned

The much touted Alex Garland script for Halo has been binned. Hurrah! It was awful! And while we're on the subject - so was 28 Days Later.

According to an interview on Game Set Watch, which I found via Jo Blo, the new draft is being written by one D B Weiss. Weiss is an author who came over like a Nick Hornby of videogaming - sort of - in his novel Lucky Wander Boy. Next to Scott Pilgrim this is probably the number one must read for videogame afficionados.

I sat next to a cousin of Danny Boyle's at a preview of 28 Days Later and as we waited, lights still up, audience dribbling in, he seemed really excited. Then he asked me if I thought the film was going to be any good, so I responded honestly - that is to say, that I expected it to be dreadful. He asked me why, so I gave him some pointers, things to watch out for, things I had picked up on from trailers, clips, previous Boyle films and so on. I made it clear how much I generally liked Zombie films, how close Dawn of the Dead, Shaun of the Dead and Evil Dead 2 were to my heart.

The film played. I was right, it was idiotic and patronising and shoddily put together. If anything, I had underestimated how silly it was going to be.

Mister cousin turned to me at the end, and he said words to the effect of "You're right. It really wasn't all that" and I was left hoping he'd be good to his word and run off to have words with Danny.

There was a Q&A afterwards, but I won't get into that. The multi-volume story of me, Danny Boyle and press junkets and Q&A sessions is too long, weird and funny to get shoehorned in here. But mainly weird.

Expect a "surprise" announcement about the director of Halo any week now. Apparently, we-the-web will collectively kick ourselves for not spotting it coming.