Halo TV series coming to Showtime

The latest title in the Halo series isn’t for the Xbox. Instead, the long-running military sci-fi video game franchise is getting a live-action television show on Showtime. The show will run for a 10-episode season and Kyle Killen (Awake) will serve as executive producer, writer and showrunner.

A live-action Halo television series for Showtime was first rumored back in 2013, with Steven Spielberg at the helm. There have been periodic updates since then, but this announcement is official confirmation of the series moving forward in production.

Each episode will be an hour long, and production is set for early 2019. According to Showtime, the series will “take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant.”

“Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded,” said Showtime president and CEO David Nevins. “[This] 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.”

Head of Halo Transmedia at 343 Industries Kiki Wolfkill said that the television series “will represent new and exciting way for fans to enter and engage with the Halo universe.”

“As we think about what it means to bring videogame franchises to movie or TV - the biggest challenge can often be finding the right balance between moments fans have already experienced and moments that have yet to be experienced through a different medium, perspective, or creative lens,” Wolfkill said in a post on Halo Waypoint. “We are excited to navigate these creative waters to bring you something that is both respectful of what you already know and love, but also new and surprising and enthralling.”

The series will be produced by Showtime in association with Microsoft and 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Along with Killen, Rupert Wyatt, Scott Pennington, Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank will executive produce. CBS Studios International will distribute. There is no premiere date yet.