JJ Abrams says the 'Portal' movie is still in the works
Just don't count on a 'Half-Life' movie.
JJ Abrams first floated the possibility of a Portal movie eight years ago, but there hasn't been much noise about it since. Don't worry, though — it's finally moving forward. Abrams told IGN that a script for the Portal flick is currently in progress at Warner Bros., and that the team was thrilled with the angle for the production. The games' narrow storytelling focus left "huge" potential for the movie, according to Abrams.
Abrams didn't name the writers or anyone else attached to the production, but he did recognize the pressure to bring back JK Simmons for a live action take on Aperture Science founder Cave Johnson.
You might not want to get your hopes up for a Half-Life movie, though. Abrams said his Bad Robot team was "not actively involved" with the tale of Gordon Freeman and his crowbar. The movie producer didn't say why, but it wouldn't be completely surprising. While Half-Life is fresher in gamers' minds thanks to Alyx, it also has a tightly regimented plot that would give a movie studio less room for interpretation.
You'll want to be patient for the Portal adaptation as it is. Video game movies have a history of drawn-out productions that aren't guaranteed to pan out. Just ask Uncharted fans — that movie was in development hell in 2016 after several years of work, and it's now slated to premiere in February 2022. It could be a while longer before Chell, GlaDOS and crew make their big screen debut, and even a strong script will need a capable director and quality acting to do it justice.
