Showtime is making some progress on finally bringing Microsoft‘s Halo series to the small screen — but there’s one less talent that won’t be along for the ride.
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Per this report from The Wrap, director Rupert Wyatt, who previously worked on Rise of the Planet of the Apes, has stepped down from the project, mainly due to scheduling conflicts. He won’t serve as either director or executive producer for the series, the company noted.
In a statement, Gary Levine, president of programming for Showtime, said, “”Showtime’s adaptation of Halo is evolving beautifully with rich characters, compelling stories and powerful scripts. Obviously, the production demands of this series are enormous, and we have had to add time to the schedule in order to do it right. Sadly, this delay has created a conflict for Rupert, whom we warmly thank for all he has brought to the project.”
And Wyatt made a statement on the matter as well. “It’s with great disappointment that changes to the production schedule of Halo prevent me from continuing in my role as a director on the series. My time on Halo has been a creatively rich and rewarding experience with a phenomenal team of people. I now join the legion of fans out there, excited to see the finished series and wishing everyone involved the very best.”
It’s unknown who could be on deck to replace Wyatt, as Showtime is actively looking for someone to fill his shoes. And whether this will affect production has yet to be seen, but we should have an update sometime over the next few weeks, depending on who gets brought on.
The series started gaining some serious traction with its initial announcement in late June, when Showtime announced that it had struck a deal with Microsoft to bring Master Chief and company to the network with a new series, one that will obviously be similar in tone to the games.
“Halo is our most ambitious series ever, and we expect audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded,” Showtime CEO David Nevins told Hollywood Reporter at the time. “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.”
We’ll let you know where the project goes from here!
(Hat tip to The Wrap for the scoop!)
