As you may remember reading here last October, the Peter Jackson-produced, Neil Blomkamp-directed film adaptation of Microsoft's hit series of "Halo" games was left at the altar by Universal and Fox, thus effectively killing the project. Or perhaps not.

As Cinematical reports, Microsoft used the E3 conference this week to grease the skids for the upcoming "Halo 3" with an assortment of "Halo"-related material, including a Blomkamp-directed teaser. Jackson has publicly stated his belief that Fox and Universal will get over their cold feet once they see how well the game sells, so the argument could be made that this teaser is not only a promotional tool for the game, but a way of re-enthusing the film's erstwhile studio backers.

It's a thought. As you'll see after watching the teaser, however, Blomkamp clearly didn't have much to work with, and filled in the gaps with what looks like footage pulled from Ford training videos and Marine Corps commercials -- the whole thing has a rushed, low-budget feel. It's apparently only one of several such clips, however, so it stands to reason that Microsoft will continue to leak out more (and better) "Halo" trailers as the game's September 25 release date approaches -- and that all this just might get the "Halo" film back on the release schedule.

Sources: Cinematical, Bungie.net (trailer -- scroll down to "Halo: Arms Race")