The wildly successful sci-fi military game Halo is so closely affiliated with Xbox that in 2013 Microsoft broke some explosive news while introducing their latest console: Steven Spielberg would be directing a live-action series based on the game.
Over four years later, with few updates on the project’s existence, it seemed like the series could be another failed attempt to bring Halo into the world of film and TV. But Showtime’s President and CEO David Nevins recently confirmed with TV Guide that the series is still totally in production. "[It's] still in very active development," Nevins said at the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Though Nevins wouldn’t elaborate, he did explain that he had read scripts, which after four years is at least something.
Showtime's president of programming Gary Levine also confirmed Halo is still on the table. “I'm encouraged by what we've seen so far," Levine said. "It's still live-action, and it will definitely satisfy the fans of Halo and I think also satisfy the drama audiences of Showtime."
The franchise, which was introduced in 2001, had grossed over $3.4 billion globally as of 2015. It’s baffling that a game that successful still hasn’t resulted in a noteworthy film or TV series, compared to other successful games like Tomb Raider, Mortal Kombat, or Resident Evil, which all have at least one (if not like 15) live-action adaptations.
This isn’t the first time Showtime confirmed the series was still in progress. In 2015, the company reported it was still in the works. Though fans may be excited to know that the network has yet to give up on Halo, it doesn’t seem like it's close to releasing anytime soon.
