J.J. Abrams and Valve talk 'Portal,' 'Half Life' movies

J.J. Abrams, who has made a name for himself writing, directing and producing such hits as "Lost" and "Star Trek," has been tapped to direct "Star Wars: Episode VII." (Tracey Nearmy / European Pressphoto Agency)

Abrams made his first foray into television in 1998, co-creating the coming-of-age drama "Felicity," which starred Keri Russell as the title character. The show won a Golden Globe and an Emmy. (The WB)

Abrams created the Jennifer Garner-starring spy thriller series "Alias," which won four Emmys and a Golden Globe. (Norman Jean Roy / ABC)

J.J. Abrams on the set of "Mission: Impossible III," the first feature film he directed. The film earned nearly $400 million at the worldwide box office. (Paramount Pictures)

Director J.J. Abrams and star Tom Cruise on the set of "Mission: Impossible III." (Paramount Pictures)

Director J.J. Abrams and star Tom Cruise pose atop Shanghai's historic Bund 18 building after wrapping up filming in China for "Mission: Impossible III" on Nov. 30, 2005. (Associated Press)

Abrams co-created "Lost" with Jeffrey Lieber and Damon Lindelof. The suspense-filled show followed a group of people after their plane crashed on an island. The massively popular series became a cultural touchstone, with millions of viewers tuning in for twist after twist. (ABC)

J.J. Abrams is photographed in Los Angeles in April 2006. (Bob Chamberlin / Los Angeles Times

J.J. Abrams, second from left, poses with the cast members from "Fringe," a sci-fi television series he co-created with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. (Rich Lam / Getty Images)

J.J. Abrams reveals his first casting for his 2009 reboot of "Star Trek" during a 2007 Comic-Con panel in San Diego. (Spencer Weiner / Los Angeles Times)

A scene from Abrams' 2009 film "Star Trek," which raked in more than $385 million worldwide. (Paramount Pictures)

Steven Spielberg, left, co-produced the 2011 film "Super 8," which J.J. Abrams wrote and directed. The pair are shown here at a 2009 dinner honoring Spielberg in Beverly Hills. (Michael Kovac / WireImage)

J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg on the set of "Super 8." (Paramount Pictures)

Director J.J. Abrams and actor Kyle Chandler on the set of "Super 8." (Paramount Pictures)

Abrams on the set of "Super 8." (Paramount Pictures)

Young actors Joel Courtney and Riley Griffiths discuss a scene with director J.J. Abrams on the set of "Super 8." (Paramount Pictures)

J.J. Abrams, left, and Eric Kripke executive produce the post-apocalyptic adventure series "Revolution." The pair are photographed here at Abrams' company Bad Robot in Santa Monica on Aug. 20, 2012. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

Abrams, second from left, shares the stage with "Star Trek Into Darkness" actor Benedict Cumberbatch, star Chris Pine and producer Bryan Burk during a December 2012 press conference for the sequel to their 2009 blockbuster. (Koji Sasahara / Associated Press)

J.J. Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath are co-chairs of the Children's Defense Fund of California. They're photographed here in December 2012. (Mark Davis / Getty Images)

J.J. Abrams is photographed in Beverly Hills in June 2011. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

Are you ready for “Portal,” the movie?

J.J. Abrams and his company Bad Robot Productions will collaborate with Valve Software to develop the games “Half-Life” and “Portal” into movies, Abrams and Valve Software CEO Gabe Newell announced this week.

The announcement came Wednesday during a joint keynote talk by Abrams and Newell at the D.I.C.E Summit, an annual gathering sponsored by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences.

Photos: Video game film adaptations

The two also said their companies would work together to develop games, Wired reports.

So far details are skimpy on what a “Portal” or “Half-Life” movie would look like, and it may be a while before we find out.

Abrams’ film “Star Trek Into Darkness,” is due in theaters May 17, and he was recently tapped to direct “Star Wars: Episode VII,” the next installment in the landmark franchise scheduled to reach theaters in 2015.

Making movies inspired by video games has proved difficult in the past.

There have been a few successes like “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001), which grossed $131 million according to Box Office Mojo, but there have been many more failures including the epic flop “Super Mario Bros.” (1993) and the critically panned film “Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time” (2010).

If you’d like to see what a “Portal” movie might look like, check out “Portal: No Escape,” the 7-minute film from director Dan Trachtenberg that became a viral hit on the Internet in 2011.

– Deborah Netburn

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J.J. Abrams and Valve talk ‘Portal,’ ‘Half Life’ movies