In a move that will have gamers pumping their thumbs with glee, Microsoft is believed to be paying the writer Alex Garland $1m to adapt its bestselling Halo franchise for the big screen.
The shooter game - which has been the driving force behind sales of the corporation's Xbox console - features an enigmatic character called Master Chief who must save the earth from alien enemies. Producers have been circling the film rights for years, inspired by a highly successful campaign that has seen the franchise generate close to $1bn in sales since launching in 2001.
Garland shot to fame with his novel The Beach and wrote the screenplay to Danny Boyle's hit horror tale 28 Days Later. Variety says Microsoft executives plan to offer the finished script as part of a rights package that will go to the highest studio bidder.
Hollywood is besotted with video game adaptations and all eyes will turn to Universal's release later this year of another cult shooter game Doom, starring The Rock.
Last weekend the big screen version of horror game hit Alone In The Dark, which stars Christian Slater and Tara Reid, flopped when it opened outside the US top 10 with less than $3m in weekend ticket sales.
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