Console gaming fans are likely already salivating at the prospect of the Xbox One which was unveiled Tuesday. Among the cornucopia of tech specs and game release tidbits unleashed during Microsoft’s presentation was news that a live action TV series based on the popular Halo franchise will also be forthcoming.

Steven Spielberg, once associated with a potential movie adaptation of Halo through DreamWorks (which he, Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen founded in 1994 before selling the entity to Viacom in 2006) will serve as executive producer, partnering with series’ developers Microsoft and 343 Industries.

In the past, other movie adaptations of Halo with varying pedigrees (anybody remember once upon a time when Peter Jackson was slated to produce, with Neill Blomkamp directing?) fell through for varying Steven Spielberg Haloreasons, but this time around, Spielberg and Microsoft seem aligned on a common path which could prove very interesting given the proposed TV series format. Says Spielberg: “The Halo universe is an amazing opportunity to be at that intersection where technology and myth-making meet to produce something truly groundbreaking.”

One wonders if this will be a network or cable endeavor, or if the vision is so grand that pay TV coffers along the lines of those found at HBO or Showtime will be needed to fund the endeavor.  Perhaps we could even be looking at Xbox One exclusive streaming content to push the new platform.   There is also the question of Spielberg’s involvement in the series; while he has served as producer on many a movie and TV show – think the Transformers films, TV shows like Falling Skies, and classic animation series such as Tiny Toons, Pinky and the Brain and Animaniacs (hellooooo, nurse!) – it remains to be seen what level of creative power The Berg will yield.  At any rate, time to celebrate, Master Chief fans!  Sooner or later, Halo will be coming to a flat screen near you.

Source: Collider