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'Halo' Live-Action Series Gets 10-Episode Order from Showtime
After taking development fire for the past five years, Showtime has officially given a 10-episode season order for a scripted drama series based on Microsoft's Halo video game franchise.
Along with the episode announcement also comes word that Awake's Kyle Killen will serve as the project's executive producer, writer and showrunner, with Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes) directing several episodes and serving as an executive producer. The Halo series will be produced by Microsoft/343 Industries, along with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television (though Spielberg is not listed as an executive producer).
Set to begin production in 2019, the project is being described as "an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant … Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."
"Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded," said David Nevins, President and CEO of Showtime. "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." – David Nevins, President/CEO, Showtime
Since its initial Xbox launch in 2001, the Halo franchise has sold over 77 million copies around the world, grossing more than $5 billion in sales.