A Portal movie is still on its way, apparently. The film’s producer, JJ Abrams, confirmed this week that Warner Bros. is, in fact, working on the adaptation right now. At this time, the Portal movie is in its early script stages, but the team is making progress. Valve fans may recall that the game studio’s other hit, Half-Life, was also considered for a film adaptation, but it looks like Portal is the priority for now.
Abrams told IGN during a Super 8 4K Blu-Ray press day, that the Portal film is still very much alive. Granted, the film has supposedly been alive for eight years now, but at least it seems to finally be moving. “We actually do have a script that’s being written for the Portal movie now at [Warner Bros.],” he told the news outlet. “We’re really excited about the take and the pitch, so it feels like that thing’s finally on the rails.”
Because the Portal movie is in such an early stage, Warner Bros. hasn’t quite set anything in stone yet. However, Abrams does seem to feel pretty confident in its “enormous potential.” He went on to explain that the puzzle platform game has a “limited narrative” that gives Portal potential for a great film story. “It’s gonna be super fun,” he said.
Taking the Half-Life universe to the big screen
Fans may recall that Abrams has talked about a Portal film since 2013. During the year’s DICE event, Abrams joined forces with Valve co-founder Gabe Newell to announce their plans for Portal and Half-Life films. At the time, it was unclear which game, if not both, would receive an adaptation. Half-Life seemed like the more obvious choice, given that Portal was set in the Half-Life universe. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions had also started Half-Life film development in 2016. Unfortunately, Abrams confirmed to IGN that “we’re not actively involved with at the moment.”
