There's been talk of a live-action Halo adaptation for years now and more than four years after it was first put into development, Showtime has officially announced that they've picked up ten episodes of the scripted drama from showrunner Kyle Killen (Awake) and director Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). The filmmaker will actually helm multiple episodes and also serve as executive producer.
Production is expected to commence early next year so it could be a while before we get any casting or story details but Showtime has a great track record so we can probably expect good things all round.
"Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded," says Showtime CEO David Nevins. "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 enthrall fans of the game while also drawing the uninitiated into a world of complex characters that populate this unique universe." It's unclear if the plan is still for it to later arrive on Xbox Live.
Halo stands a very good chance of rivalling HBO's big Game of Thrones plans and Amazon's The Lord of the Rings series but video game adaptations have a spotty track record and fans of the games will have very specific ideas about how this one should play out. What do you guys think? Do you think Halo will be well suited to television? As always, share your thoughts on this news in the comments section.