Director J.J. Abrams, best known for his work on Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the upcoming Star Trek Beyond, has confirmed to IGN that films based on Valve’s Half-Life and Portal are currently being written.

Abrams essentially stated that, “They’re in development and we’ve got writers and we’re working on both those stories.”

News broke off Abrams working on film properties for both these franchises back in 2013 when Abrams revealed that he and Gabe Newell were interested in collaborating on various video game and movie projects. Aside from stories being written for both though, Abrams didn’t offer any other update on both films. They’re a ways away at this point so buckle in.

What are your thoughts on films for Half-Life and Portal finally moving along, especially with Valve branching out into VR with the latter? Let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for more information – whenever it arrives – sometime in the future.

From co-hosting the D.I.C.E. Summit’s opening keynote with Valve boss Gabe Newell, J.J. Abrams now seems to be in serious talks with the company to make finally make films based off Half Life and Portal a reality.

Speaking to Polygon, Abrams stated that, “It’s as real as anything in Hollywood ever gets. Which is that we are really talking to Valve, we are going to be bringing on a writer, we have a lot of very interesting ideas.

Based on their discussion of creating a video game together, Abrams felt it was the right time to move forward. “We’ve had so many meetings and finally got to a point where we said, ‘We need to start making stuff.’

“And so the ideas that we’ve had for games, the ideas they’ve had for turning Portal and Half-Life into a film, we just decided we actually have to start doing this stuff.”

Currently, Abrams is slated to direct the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII. His most recent venture Star Trek: Into Darkness is set for release this May.

President of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences Martin Rae stated, “There’s no question that J.J. has his finger on the pulse of the entertainment industry, and we’re thrilled to welcome him and our 2013 Hall of Fame inductee, Gabe Newell, to the D.I.C.E. stage.

“Each year, the D.I.C.E. Summit sets the tone for the year ahead in games and adding J.J. and Gabe’s shared insights is a natural fit as we see all forms of entertainment converge.”

The opening keynote will be “Storytelling Across Platforms: Who Benefits Most, the Audience or the Player?” and will take place on February 6th. Abrams is known for his work on Lost and Super 8 but is perhaps most revered for his direction of the Star Trek movies, especially of this year’s Star Trek: Into Darkness, and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode VII.

Source: GIBiz