Showtime's television adaptation of
Halo suffered a bit of a setback as it was announced that Rupert Wyatt has stepped down as director and executive producer of the highly anticipated series. Confirmation comes from Wyatt himself who, via
Variety, claimed "changes to the production schedule" prevented him from continuing to work on the series.
“It’s with great disappointment that changes to the production schedule of ‘Halo’ prevent me from continuing in my role as a director on the series,” Wyatt said in a statement.
“My time on ‘Halo’ has been a creatively rich and rewarding experience with a phenomenal team of people. I now join the legion of fans out there, excited to see the finished series and wishing everyone involved the very best.”
Back in June, Showtime
picked up ten episodes of the scripted drama from showrunner Kyle Killen, which is based on the hit Xbox video game franchise of the same name. Wyatt was attached to direct multiple episodes as well as executive produce. Despite his departure, Showtime executives remain confident in the series.
“Showtime’s adaptation of ‘Halo’ is evolving beautifully with rich characters, compelling stories and powerful scripts,” said Gary Levine, Showtime’s president of programming. “Obviously, the production demands of this series are enormous, and we have had to add time to the schedule in order to do it right. Sadly, this delay has created a conflict for Rupert, whom we warmly thank for all he has brought to the project.”
We don't yet have an official synopsis of the series, but Showtime previously described it as “an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant,” weaving “deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future." Like the game it is based on, Showtime CEO David Nevins called it a "futuristic, space-based science-fiction."
It remains to be seen who will step in for Wyatt. Showtime has not yet announced a premiere date for Halo, which was previously expected to begin production next June in Budapest.