Rupert Wyatt Exits 'Halo' At Showtime

Image from Game Revolution

By Darian Scalamoni

            Tough news for video game fans who are trying to finally get their Halo series as it has hit yet another roadblock. According to Collider, Rupert Wyatt, who was set to be a director and executive producer on the television series, has left the project.

            Gary Levine, the President of Showtime, the network which Halo is set up at had some comments about Wyatt’s exit: “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.”

            Wyatt, whose name has been out of the spotlight since directing Rise of the Planet of the Apes, appears to have other commitments and to be honest, I’m not even surprised. Wyatt is the latest in a long-running list of people who have been attached to a live-action Halo adaptation of some kind. Peter Jackson, Neil Blomkamp, Ridley Scott and Steven Spielberg have all been attached and only the latter has stuck around to executive produce the series with his Amblin Television banner. Showtime is now looking to find a new director for the show as they’re in the process of casting.

            Halo was set to shoot in early 2019 but with a lack of director, I have a feeling that will be pushed back. I feel that Wyatt should’ve stuck around as his name doesn’t have the same recognition as it did coming off Apes. Since then, he’s directed the drama, The Gambler starring Mark Wahlberg that didn’t work for me or mostly anyone, but he has another film in the can. He directed Captive State, which hits theaters on March 29^th and stars Madeline Brewer, Vera Farmiga and John Goodman.