Nowadays, film adaptations of popular video games are all the rage. From Mortal Kombat to Borderlands, it seems that filmmakers are all trying to tap into the video game hype, and J.J. Abrams is no exception. The Star Wars director recently revealed that the long-rumored Portal film is still in the works at Warner Bros. and that an official script is currently underway.
In a statement to IGN, Abrams said he is "really excited about the take and the pitch" of the story concept and he's glad that the Portal project is "finally on the rails." The update is especially pleasing to fans of the video game, who have been waiting for news of the film's development since Abrams and Valve first announced they would collaborate on the project eight years ago.
While not much has been revealed about the Portal script's details, he did mention there is "enormous potential" to make something unique with the plotline. Given that Portal itself has a limited narrative, he believes the creative team will have a lot of freedom to play around with ideas. That said, the prevailing theory is that the film will focus on the adventures of Chell, the test subject at Aperture Science who has to escape the facility using a gun that opens up portals. Additionally, the film could also explore some of the lore behind Aperture Science's background, which the game reveals via narration by the company's advanced AI system, GlaDOS.
The Portal film is just one of many big-scale projects that Abrams is working on for Warner Bros. In 2019, he signed a $500 million contract with the company to produce a number of their hit titles, including some DC films and television shows. Conversely, Abrams will no longer be working on a Half-Life film, despite the fact that it is part of the same universe as Portal. Abrams initially said he was involved with the Half-Life film back in 2016 and he is listed as a producer for it on IMDb. However, he has since confirmed that the project has been shelved (at least for now).
Other films that Abrams has in the pipeline include a couple of untitled works, including a Cloverfield sequel, a Star Trek reboot in collaboration with Quentin Tarantino, and a brand-new Superman project starring the first Black live-action lead for the franchise. Fans can expect these films to potentially release sometime in 2022 or later.
Fans of the Portal franchise are likely disappointed that the wait for a big-screen adaptation will be even longer now. However, perhaps the fact that so much time is being taken in the development stage is a sign that the project will be worth it.
Portal is currently in development at Warner Bros. Studios.
Source: IGN