It was back in 2013 that fan-favorite producer J.J. Abrams and fan-favorite developer Gabe Newell announced a joint partnership between Bad Robot and Valve where the two would be working not only on a game idea together, but also films – namely Half-Life and Portal movies.
Since then, there have been little developments on the projects and they appeared to be stuck in stasis like the game’s protagonists, Gordon Freeman and Chell, though Abrams said earlier this year that the pair were still in development. Now, speaking with IGN, Abrams spoke about the process of meeting with writers who were fans of the games but also revealed that an announcement on the Portal movie could happen soon.
“We have a meeting coming up next week with Valve. We’re very active, I’m hoping that there will be a Portal announcement fairly soon,” he tells the outlet. “We are having some really interesting discussions with writers… it’s incredible when you talk to someone who just ‘gets’ it. It’s like, oh my god, it’s really the seed for this incredible tree you’re growing.”
It’s still unclear who the writers are on the projects, though one of Abrams’ latest producorial efforts, 10 Cloverfield Lane, was directed by Dan Trachtenberg, who rose to prominence after making a short film based on Portal.
The first Half-Life game was released in 1998 and follows a theoretical physicist, Gordon Freeman, who opens a dimensional rift between a New Mexico research facility and a world of monsters called Xen. It was awarded countless Game of the Year awards upon release and has spawned several spin-offs and a sequel.
Portal was first released in 2007 and, while not directly tied to the events of Half-Life, is set in the same universe as the game. In Portal, a test subject named Chell is forced to navigate a rival research company’s laboratories armed with a device that can open portals through space while being taunted by a power hungry AI. It also spawned a sequel in 2011.
