J.J. Abrams to Develop Portal, Half-Life Movies? Gamers, Rejoice!

J.J. Abrams (King of the Geeks!) is already stirring up love in fan hearts by announcing that once he’s completed “Star Trek: Into Darkness,” he’ll switch on over to another hotly anticipated space movie… to direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” now helmed by Walt Disney Co.

But wait, there’s more!

At the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, where video game designers and developers can unite, Abrams and Valve Software co-founder and president Gabe Newell told audiences that they will be working together to adapt two Valve games into big-screen form: Half-Life and Portal.

Abrams will develop the films through his production company, Bad Robot, as well as Valve, but no production studios are said to be involved in this early stage.

Of why he chose Portal, Abrams says,“You start Portal with no idea why you’re there. The whole game is about figuring out the mystery and what’s going on. The more you play, the more you learn, the more you felt… In many cases, games are better at telling stories than movies.”

He added that “players are often driving scenes in the wrong direction,” which is why a movie adaptation could be so successful.

Newell also praised Abram’s previous flicks “Cloverfield,” “Super 8” and “Alias.”

However, will the cross over into film be hard for the gamer to swallow? He admits that watching “Cloverfield” is difficult for him.

“When the film’s monster first attacks New York City and a character with a camera records every step…. I’m looking at that as a gamer and saying, put the f*****g camera down and f*****g run! Characters in movies don’t do what you want.”

However when one is playing a video game, “it’s our story, it’s about us and what we’re doing.”

Can the perfect transition be made? With Abrams on board, odds are good.