As we reported here several months ago, Microsoft sold the movie rights to it’s lucrative Halo game franchise to Fox and Universal, jointly. Since then it’s been pretty quiet on the Halo movie front, but today Variety is reporting that things are finally moving on what could be the first decent game to movie adaptation.

Screenwriter Alex Garland (28 Days Later), who was paid a whopping $1 million dollars by Microsoft to write the script, has been called back in to start in on rewrites based on studio notes. Screenwriting by corporate committee is never a good thing, but you’ve got to expect that when you’re dealing with folks like Bill Gates. Hopefully, game creator Bungie’s quality control veto is still in place.

Once Garland finishes touching thigns up, Universal will start shopping it to directors. What that means for you is that the film could be in theaters as soon as Summer 2007. Now let’s all hold hands and hope they don’t cast Freddie Prinze Jr. as the Master Chief.