Showtime Picks Up Live-Action ‘Halo’ TV Series
Good news for fans of the ‘Halo‘ video game franchise. Not only do they have a new game, ‘Halo Infinite’, in development, but Showtime has just committed to a 10 episode live-action drama series based on the property!
The show comes from writer Kyle Killen (‘Awake’, ‘Mind Games’), director Rupert Wyatt (‘Rise of the Planet of the Apes’), and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Killen will write the series and be the showrunner, with Wyatt directing a number of episodes. Both will exec produce with Scott Pennington, and Justin Falvey & Darryl Frank from Amblin Television.
The idea of a Halo tv series first surfaced back in 2013, and was due to be an original show exclusive to XBox. When XBox Entertainment Studios, who were behind that version of the series, was shut down a year later, the production stalled whilst they looked for a new home.
“Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded,” commented David Nevins, President and CEO Showtime Networks. “In the history of television, there simply has never been enough great science fiction. Kyle Killen’s scripts are thrilling, expansive and provocative, Rupert Wyatt is a wonderful, world-building director, and their vision of Halo will enthral fans of the game while also drawing the uninitiated into a world of complex characters that populate this unique universe.”
“This is a truly exciting moment for the Halo franchise,” adds Kiki Wolfkill, head of Halo Transmedia at 343 Industries. “Together with our creative and production partners at SHOWTIME and Amblin Television, the Halo television series will represent new and exciting way for fans to enter and engage with the Halo universe. We can’t wait to share more on what’s ahead.”
With ‘Halo‘ coming to Showtime in the US, that should mean it falls under Sky’s overall to bring Showtime shows to their UK channel Sky Atlantic, but don’t expect it too soon. Production is set to begin on the new series in early 2019, so the earliest we’re likely to see it is late 2019, but could be 2020. We’ll let you know when we hear more.
