Showtime's live-action
Halo television series suffered a major blow as director and executive producer Rupert Wyatt announced his exit from the project. In a statement provided to Variety, Wyatt cited "changes to the production schedule" as the reason for his departure.
“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.”
Wyatt, who previously directed the blockbuster film
Rise of the Planet of the Apes, was slated to direct multiple episodes for the blockbuster television series in addition to executive producing. He's recently completed work on the sci-fi thriller
Captive State (March 2019), which he wrote, directed, and produced.
Based on the hit Xbox video game franchise, Showtime's
Halo series has been described as
“an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant,” weaving
“deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future." Showtime CEO David Nevins previously described it as
"futuristic, space-based science-fiction."
Not much is known specifically regarding the plot, but we do know that both Master Chief and Dr. Catherine Halsey
will have lead roles in the series.
Despite Wyatt's departure from the project, Showtime executives remain confident in the upcoming series. Showtime president of programming Gary Levine commented:
“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.”
Principle photography for the 10-episode
Halo series was r
eported to begin next June in Budapest, but it's unclear if Wyatt's exit will cause any sort of production delay. Showtime has not yet announced a premiere date for the series.