JUDAS PRIEST Singer ROB HALFORD Trademarks 'Metal God' Game Name

January 21, 2009

Kotaku reports that JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford (a.k.a. "Metal God") has copyrighted the title "Metal God", leading to speculation that there mere be a game in the works based on the man himself or his music.

The trademark was filed on January 11 of this year and covers "computer games; video games; and game controllers for computer games." Details about said games are scant, and it might be to protect "Metal God" from anyone else turning it into a game.

In a 2007 interview with Classic Rock Revisited, Halford was asked if he feels humility when all his peers come up to him and call him the "Metal God." "I still feel uncomfortable, quite frankly," he replied. "I suppose it is just the British reserve. You get a bit embarrassed. It is wonderful to be recognized like that, particularly from fans, but you are just like, 'Okay, thank you. Can we talk about something else now?' People go, 'You changed my life,' or 'You saved my life.' That is a big thing for somebody to say. You realize then how passionate the fans are about what you do. Certain songs may have had a dramatic impact on their life."

"Metal God" was the working title of what eventually became "Rock Star", the movie starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star in which Wahlberg's character was styled after Tim "Ripper" Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group.

The title "Metal God" was axed in favor of "Rock Star" to take the film out of the restrictive heavy metal niche and into a wider, more accessible rock genre, a Warner Bros. spokesperson said. Contrary to published reports, the spokesperson said, the switch was not spurred by a complaint from Halford, who uses the "Metal God" nickname.

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