No <i>Halo</i> director chosen yet

Late last week, the Web was afire with rumors that Guillermo del Toro (Hellboy) would direct the film adaptation of Halo, the wildly popular Xbox and PC shooter. The choice seemed very plausible, given del Toro's visual flair and the fact his career path mirrored that of the project's executive producer, Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson.

However, now word has emerged that del Toro has not been selected--from Jackson himself. Speaking to the popular film site Dark Horizons, Jackson flatly said that no one has been chosen to direct Halo. "We're talking to some people but we're going to be shooting that next year," he said. The film is set for a summer 2007 release.

Jackson also told Dark Horizons that he turned down the director's chair because he needed some time off, but his love of the game still made him want to be involved in the project. "I want to have the fun but not the hard work. I just want to be part of the creative team but not actually have the pain," he joked. "Hopefully it won't suck."