Remember that live action Halo TV series that Microsoft announced during the 2013 reveal of the Xbox One? They created an entire division of their company, Xbox Entertainment Studios, to handle the development of the Halo TV series and other series set for release on both Television and direct to streaming series based upon popular Microsoft properties. It wasn’t meant to be as that division of Microsoft was promptly folded less than six months after its’ debut – which resulted in 18,000 jobs being lost at MS between 2014 and 2015.
Now a spokesperson for Microsoft says that not only is Steven Spielberg still part of the creative team behind the television series but U.S based premium cable channel Showtime is still reportedly onboard as well.
Here is the full quote via MSPowerUser.com:
“Progress on the Halo Television Series continues. We want to ensure we’re doing this the right way together with a team of creative partners (Steven Spielberg and Showtime) that can help us build the best Halo series that fans expect and deserve. We have no further details to share at this time.”
MS and 343 Industries haven’t had the best of luck launching the Halo franchise into the orbit of other forms of media. Aside from the closure of Xbox Entertainment Studios the series has also seen two high profile directors abandon plans to adapt the story of Master Chief to the silver screen: In 2008 – two years after the project’s initial announcement – Peter Jackson stepped down from directorial duties on the Halo Movie, handing them over to District 9’s Neil Blomkamp. Halo did make the jump to live action with the release of the 2012 miniseries Forward Onto Dawn but it had nowhere near the $125 Mil USD budget that Blomkamp had envisioned.
[Header Image Source: “Birth of a Spartan” via YouTube]