Halo TV Series WON'T Be Direct Adaptation Of Games
But a familiar face WILL finish the fight...
If it seems like forever since Microsoft first attempted to get a live-action Halo thing off the ground, it's probably because it has.
Though exceptions like Halo: Forward Unto Dawn and Nightfall do exist, neither went on to be the massive successes Microsoft inevitably hoped they'd become, and with fans still aware of the unfortunate cancellation of Neill Blomkamp's Halo movie from ten years ago, one gets the sense that it's really now or never for a true adaptation of Halo to take off.
Following on from news that a new series will be coming (on Showtime), it now emerges that it won't be a direct adaptation of Bungie's original video game trilogy. As per SlashFilm, it also looks as though that, while that may be the case, Master Chief will feature in a leading role, and that the showrunners are already discussing the best way of conveying his presence onscreen.
Speaking at the Television Critics Association on Monday, Showtime's President of Programming Gary Levine said:
"It is a new story, but we are being incredibly respectful of the canon and working with Microsoft 343 people to be sure we don’t violate any of that... We made a conscious decision to hire a writer not known for sci-fi or big battle movies because that’s already baked into the Halo franchise and we will service that but we also wanted to make sure we were getting underneath the armor of the spartans to the human drama, so it felt like it belonged on Showtime. Our hope is it will appeal to Halo fans and Showtime drama fans.”
For fans hoping for a speedy turnaround, however, Levine does say that the show won't release until "probably in 2020." That means it'll debut over fourteen years after the first attempt was made to make a Halo film, posing the question of whether this could all be a case of too little, too late.
But how do you feel about the new Halo series? Is it long overdue? Be sure to post your thoughts down in the comments below!