15:37 Uhr - Microsoft kündigte heute mit "Birth of a Spartan" nicht nur den obligatorischen Realkurzfilm zu Halo: Reach an, sondern damit gleichzeitig auch einen Blick auf eines der "dunkelsten Geheimnisse" des Halo-Universums. Der von Regisseur Noam Murro inszenierte "Live-Action"-Ministreifen soll die Transformation von Carter 259 zum künftigen Anführer des Noble-Teams aus dem kommenden Spiel des Franchises zeigen.

Mit 60 Sekunden Laufzeit ist das Werk zwar wohl eher als aufwendigerer "Trailer" zu bezeichnen, aber immerhin läuft es im UK erstmals am 27. April - beim "Champions Leage"-Spiel der Bayern gegen Lyon - sehr prominent platziert im Fernsehen. In den USA feiert "Birth of a Spartan" am selben Tag auf ABC während einer Episode von "V" Premiere. Kino-Ausstrahlungen vor Iron Man 2 soll es in den Staaten ebenfalls geben, genau wie international einen Webrelease auf www.welcometonobleteam.com (am 27. April um 9 p.m. PDT). Noch besser: Via Xbox LIVE bekommen Goldmitglieder dann auch exklusiv eine erweiterte Fassung von 02:30 Minuten Länge zu sehen.

Die englische Pressemeldung:

Brace yourselves for a riveting glimpse into one of the darkest secrets of the “Halo” universe. This week is the premiere of “Birth of a Spartan,” a live-action short directed by award-winning director Noam Murro. Airing on multiple U.K. and U.S. TV networks and also showing in movie theaters across North America, “Birth of a Spartan” is a stirring depiction of the transformation of Carter 259, the future leader of Noble Team in “Halo: Reach,” from an ordinary young man to a superhuman Spartan warrior.

The highly classified bio-augmentation procedure is a Spartan candidate’s final and most difficult ordeal before joining the ranks of the legendary soldiers. The dramatic interpretation of Carter’s rebirth as a Spartan embodies the themes of courage, sacrifice and honor in “Halo: Reach” and gives viewers a unique look into the origins of a central character in the upcoming blockbuster game.

The 60 second ad short premieres in the U.K. on Tuesday, April 27 via Sky Sports 2 at the full time whistle of the Champions League semi-final between Lyon and Bayern Munich, and it debuts on the same day in the U.S. during an episode of ABC’s “V.” Following its premieres on Sky 2 and ABC, the short will air on multiple shows across sixteen other U.K. and U.S. TV networks, including Comedy Central, Spike TV, Bravo, FX, TNT and TBS.

The short will be available on www.welcometonobleteam.com on Tuesday, April 27 at 9 p.m. PDT. In addition to being able to view the short, users can also upload a photo of themselves and get an image created of them as a Spartan III.  On the following day a special, extended two minute 30 second version will be available for download on Xbox LIVE exclusively for Gold members. The ad short will also premiere on April 28 in cinemas across North America in select theaters with screenings through the opening weekend of “Iron Man 2” and concludes on May 13.

 “Birth of a Spartan” was directed by Noam Murro, the director of the 2008 feature film “Smart People” and numerous award-winning ad spots for Toshiba, Saturn, Volkswagen and more. The recipient of the Director’s Guild of America’s 2005 Director of the Year award, Murro was also recently named the U.K.’s #1 director by Campaign magazine. For production of the short, Microsoft partnered with Biscuit Filmworks Co., a production company Murro founded in 2000.

Developed by acclaimed studio Bungie, “Halo: Reach” launches this fall exclusively on Xbox 360, and is available for pre-order today in standard, Limited and Legendary editions. The “Halo: Reach” multiplayer beta, which is poised to be the definitive Xbox LIVE event of this spring, kicks off in one week on May 3. Players can access the beta via the “Halo 3: ODST” campaign disc.

[Pressemeldung]