A live-action Halo TV show is finally, truly on the way
Remember the Halo movie? No, you don't, because it didn't happen.
You're looking at a piece of history: a real, working Halo Warthog vehicle created by the Lord of the Rings and Avatar special-effects geniuses Weta Workshop for the Halo movie we were promised well over a decade ago.
But on Thursday, publisher Microsoft and Halo developer 343 Industries announced that we're finally getting a live-action Halo TV series -- Showtime has ordered a 10-episode season. (Disclosure: Showtime is a subsidiary of CBS, CNET's parent company.)
According to Microsoft's press release -- there's also a 343 Industries press release -- the show "will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant," which admittedly tells fans basically nothing about how the series might work.
They're hinting, however, it may be a big-budget show, with hour-long episodes. "Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded," said Showtime CEO David Nevins.
Rupert Wyatt (who directed Rise of the Planet of the Apes) will serve as exec producer and director on some episodes, with writer-producer Kyle Killen (Lone Star, Awake) as showrunner. Production will begin in early 2019.
What happened to Steven Spielberg, who was supposed to be involved in creating a Halo TV show since way back in 2013? 343 Industries suggests that he was involved in putting together the creative team, and that his production company Amblin Television will contribute a pair of executive producers too.
There's also a new Halo game, Halo Infinite, to look forward to.
In February, we spoke to Alex Garland, the screenwriter behind the original Halo movie -- who's now an accomplished sci-fi director, too.
