THERE ARE MANY MILESTONES IN VIDEOGAME history, but one enduring date is 15 November 2001. That’s when Microsoft launched the Xbox and what remains to this day a behemoth industry title: Halo. Created by developers Bungie, one could argue it’s actually Halo: Combat Evolved that propelled the console to success. A sci-fi game set in the 26th century, the first-person shooter put players inside the massive armour and signature helmet of Spartan super-soldier Master Chief, and a gaming icon was born.
Over 20 years, there have since been seven official sequels, the most recent being 2021’s Halo: Infinite. The franchise has also exploded in popularity with DLC titles, numerous tie-in books, comics and even live-action short films directed by Neill Blomkamp. But what it hasn’t manifested in all that time is a Halo feature, despite the interest of attached talents like Blomkamp, Alex Garland, Peter Jackson and Guillermo del Toro.
Yet making a live-action feature adaptation of Halo remained a serious goal for Xbox Game Studio’s 343 Industries and its executive producer Kiki Wolfkill. As the company’s shepherd of the Halo universe since the early 2000s, Wolfkill and co committed to developing a television series with Steven Spielberg and his Amblin Television seven years ago. After many development delays, including the now ubiquitous Covid disruption, the Halo they envisioned is now a nine-episode streaming series premiering on Paramount+ in the US.
ANCER MAHAGEMENT
WITH A NEW TRILOGY IN SIGHT, WE SPEAK TO THE DIRECTOR OF 28 WEEKS LATER THE ORIGINAL CHILLING SEQUEL TO DANNY BOYLE'S SEMINAL SURVIVAL HORROR
WHO YA CONNA CALL?
BEHIND THE SCENES AT HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS FOR GHOSTBUSTERS: FROZEN EMPIRE
SPEAK OF THE DEVIL
THE DEVIL'S HOUR STRIKES TWICE AS THE GENREDEFYING DRAMA RETURNS
SCARRY STORIES TO TELL IN THE DARK
FROM THE RETURN OF EC COMICS TO SCREAM!, THIS YEAR'S HALLOWEEN OFFERS UP HORROR COMICS FOR ALL THE AGES
UNDEADS REFLECTIONS
NEIL JORDAN ON BRINGING ANNE RICE'S MODERN VAMPIRE CLASSIC TO SCREEN, 30 YEARS ON
MUNSTER MASH!
PRODUCTION HELL, SHOCK RECASTING AND HOTLY CONTESTED AUTHORSHIP. AS THE MUNSTERS CELEBRATE THEIR 60TH ANNIVERSARY, WE UNCOVER HOW THE SPOOKY SITCOM WAS ALMOST DEAD ON ARRIVAL
COMING TO AMERICA
THE MOGWAI LIVE THE AMERICAN DREAM IN THEIR SECOND CHAPTER, GREMLINS: THE WILD BATCH
BEING HUMAN EVOLUTION
IT MAY HAVE BEEN AN INSTANT HIT, BUT BBC THREE'S DARKLY COMIC DRAMA ABOUT A HOUSE-SHARING VAMPIRE/WEREWOLF/GHOST TRIO HAD A STRANGE JOURNEY TO THE SCREEN, SERIES CREATOR TOBY WHITHOUSE TELLS SFX
THE MAINE EVENT
THE DARK IS RISING IN SALEM'S LOT AS STEPHEN KING'S DEATHLESS TALE RETURNS TO THE SCREEN
WHY DON'T YOU STAY FOR A BITE?
THE VAMPIRE COMES HOME AS DIRECTOR EUROS LYN WELCOMES SFX TO HIS NEW DARK COMEDY THE RADLEYS