Half-Life: The Freeman

Freeman is an upcoming 2018 American-European action movie. It is based off the Half-Life video game franchise and follows on from Half-Life 2: Episode Two (2007). The film stars Bryan Cranston as an older Gordon Freeman and the character's life years following the Uprising as depicted in Half-Life 2 and the death of Eli Vance in Episode Two. Richard Sammel will also star as The G-Man, and Merle Dandridge will portray Alyx Vance (having voice acted the character in the video games). It is expected to be released in late 2018 in order to tie with the 20th Anniversary of the original Half-Life.

Synopsis
Decades following the Uprising against the Combine, an older Gordon Freeman is living a life of solitude in a shack in a deserted wasteland far from humanity. But when he is called upon by a "mutual friend" about an impending threat against humanity, Freeman must suit up with his HEV Suit and head off on a long and dangerous journey which will hopefully avert the complete extinction of the human race.

Story
In a black and white flashback to the events of Eli Vance's death, Gordon Freeman is forced to watch helplessly as Eli is killed by a Combine Advisor. The two attacking Advisors eventually flee after Alyx Vance's robot DOG comes to the rescue, but all is too late for Freeman. As he lays on the ground, he watches as Alyx's cradles her dead father in her arms.

Thirty-two years following the event, a 59-year old Freeman is now living in isolation in the hills of the outlands located near the White Forest Base. Although the resistance managed to successfully close off the Combine portal and take down any remaining forces of the Combine on earth, the planet still suffered a major blow due to the effect of the Combine's 20 year occupation which resulted in wastelands and Xenian alien creatures still roaming the planet, meaning that the human race were forced to remain in barricaded cities across the globe, with rail networks traveling back and forward. Freeman opted to live in the decaying outlands, having felt terrible guilt over Eli's death and as a result he severed contact with his allies - that being Alyx herself. In these years Freeman had no sign of the allusive "G-Man", who had warned him of the "Unforseen Consequences" pertaining to Eli's death, which created greater guilt as there was a possible way of preventing it.

Freeman lives with his pet houndeye, and spends time in the country hunting Xenian beings whilst maintaining a low profile. Back in his shack he keeps a scrapbook detailing his time at Black Mesa, stuff he could dig up on the Seven Hour War, as well as his journey taking down the Combine.

One night Freeman has a dream/vision of The G-Man, who warns of greater dangers ahead, whilst remaining cryptic to what it all means. Upon awakening Freeman is skeptical at what he experienced was real or not. He plans to try and make contact with his living allies, but decides not to at the last minute due to the way things ended originally. Freeman continues his life acting as a hermit.

Strange phenomenons occur across the planet in the same vain as the portal storms, causing great panic as people believe the Combine have somehow managed to breach the gateway closing off the dimensions and are trying to push their way through. A 77-year old Barney Calhoun goes to see a dying Arne Magnussen at his care home about the incident. Magnussen assures Calhoun that he made "no mistake" and that there is no risk of the Combine Homeworld ever connecting to earth again. That evening, Magnussen passes away, leaving him to join the late Eli Vance and (recently passed) Isaac Kleiner. During his funeral Freeman goes in disguise and watches from a distance, and quietly slips away, unaware though that someone is watching him from afar.

Freeman returns to his shack and continues having nightmares, which ranges from the Black Mesa Incident to that of another Combine Invasion. During the night Freeman's shack is ambushed and shot at. He grabs a handgun and fires out into the night. Molotovs are aimed at the shack, forcing Freeman to grab a couple of weapons and escape out the back. He is devastated to find his pet Houndeye dead. Freeman retreats and watches from the distance as a figure sweeps the area and searches the burned out shack, then proceeds to head off. Freeman knows for certain he has just survived an assassination attempt, and begins to wonder if this was the G-Man's warning.

Freeman decides to make contact with Calhoun. First he stops by a petrol station to fill up his jeep, and is recognised as "The Freeman". It is shown Freeman became somewhat of a celebrity following his disappearance, and even had a film made about him. Freeman isn't interested in fame, and continues on. He arrives at the abandoned White Forest Base which brings back painful memories of his experiences. He finds a closed off area which holds his HEV Suit, as well as other guns, medkits and assorted equipment. He packs the gear into a case and makes his exit, but soon finds the facility is being infiltrated by an armed squad, that announce they "want you Freeman". Freeman is shot at, and he lays a tripmine and kills a couple of the gunmen. As he heads for the exit, he is grabbed and punched down by a man wearing black armour and a gas mask. The man mocks Freeman saying "You probably don't know me, but I sure know you Gordon". The man unmasks himself, and says "This is for the men you killed 50 years ago". Freeman notices the man's outfit (as is his squad) resembles what the HECU marines wore back in Black Mesa. The man identifies himself as Adrian Shephard, and tells Freeman that he will suffer for what he had done. But the man is knocked out by a hooded individual, he then helps Freeman escape the squad and the base itself. A chase ensues but the man loses him. Freeman wants to know who the man is, but the man refuses to state, only claiming he has been "sent by an old friend". Freeman notices them an is familiar, but can't place him.

Freeman is introduced to who sent for him, who happens to just be Calhoun himself. Calhoun jokes that Freeman still "looks great" after all this time, whereas Calhoun himself hasn't aged well. After much talk, Calhoun voices his fears of an impending invasion by the Combine, and that he doesn't believe Magnussen's claims that they have completely succeeded in their plans. Although humanity (as well as the vortigaunts) have cracked on, Calhoun isn't convinced things will be going as smoothy and that the Combine probably foresaw this. Calhoun says the "Resistance Government" must know something, but have kept things low key. Vortigaunts have also began disappearing, which leads to them believing something fishy is afoot. Freeman mentions his run in with a squad and mentions the name of the leader. Calhoun states they aren't resistance based, but has the name checked up. Records reveal what Freeman already guessed and was informed, that Adrian Shephard is a disgruntled former HECU Marine who lost his squad back in Black Mesa. It appears that he holds a grudge towards Freeman for causing the Black Mesa Incident in the first place. Freeman notices Adrian is quite young looking for someone that should be in his 70s at least, bringing the revelation to Freeman that Shephard must also have been kept in some sort of stasis by his former suited employer. Freeman ponders if Shephard is responsible for the rise in portal storms, but Calhoun doubts it. Before Freeman sets off, he asks who the young man was that helped Freeman, in which Calhoun reveals is his son Michael. When Freeman asks about who the mother is, Calhoun hesitates. Freeman is taken aback when he sees a family photo, identifying the mother as non other than Alyx herself. Freeman demands to know where Alyx is, but Calhoun says he is unable to, as he himself doesn't know where she is. She has been gone for several years now.

As Freeman walks the wasteland alone, he looks up to the sky. Soon the world slows down, and he is greeted by the G-Man. As G-Man talks to Freeman and about the passing time, he changes the world which shows it in great despair than usual. The world looks like the surface of mars almost. Freeman questions the G-Man if the threat is the Combine, but G-Man doesn't directly answer, although states that the threat does link to Black Mesa. Freeman asks about Shephard, and G-Man states that Shephard was one of his finest "like you Mr Freeman" but "unlike you" he manages to escape my grasp willingly. G-Man reveals that the years in stasis haven't been kind on Freeman, and without anything else he wants revenge and to "complete" his mission set out back in Black Mesa: Kill Gordon Freeman. G-Man reveals though that if Freeman can reach out to Shephard, they are the best bets of preventing the end from truly happening. Before G-Man returns Freeman to reality, he tries to find out what happened to Alyx, but G-Man refuses to answer, only giving a smarmy smile.

Cast

 * Bryan Cranston as Gordon Freeman
 * Richard Sammel as "The G-Man"
 * Merle Dandridge as Alyx Vance: Dandridge provided the voice of Alyx for Half-Life 2 and its two episodes, and will again provide voice recordings for the character which will be used through the use of flashbacks.

As such, voice archives from the original Half-Life games will be used through the use of flashbacks, which will include Robert Culp as Wallace Breen, Harry S Robins as Isaac Kleiner and Robert Guillaume as Eli Vance.

Locations
The locations will include the wasterland (situated nearby the derelict City 17) as well as the countryside. Both locations are still swarmed with Xenian wildlife, although most have been cut down and tamed. Gordon Freeman owns a house out in the country, where he has an antlion farm.

City 17 (or what is left of it) will make cameos as a sort of backdrop). Despite the time gap the city will still be in bad shape and has long since been abandoned.

City 18 will feature.