In the midst of the pomp and ceremony heralding the launch of the new Xbox One gaming console, Microsoft today dropped one nugget that will be of particular interest to fans of games, TV and Steven Spielberg: the company announced that the director will produce a new series based on the Halo games for Xbox Live.
Few details for the series were announced beyond Spielberg’s presence and the collaboration with games makers 343 Industries. But however it comes to life, it’ll likely focus on the central character Master Chief and his battles against the evil Covenant.
Of course, this is hardly the first time someone has tried to turn the game into another format: there is already the live-action web series Halo: Forward Unto Dawn, which saw cadets from UNSC's Corbulo Academy of Military Science, dealing with various crises (see the first chunk below).
The game also has a tortured history with its proposed film adaptation, starting back in 2005 when Microsoft hired Alex Garland to write a script. That was delivered to various studios, resulting in a deal with Universal and Fox. But it got mired in development and financing issues with Peter Jackson and District 9’s Neill Blomkamp eventually throwing up their hands a couple of years later and admitting defeat on the project.
Could this new wrinkle eventually end up inspiring a feature film? It’ll have to be a success first… Meanwhile, learn more about the new Xbox via Wired.