Watch out, Marvel. Halo is building its own cinematic universe.
Halo: Nightfall is a new live-action series that will debut on Nov. 11 as a part of Halo: The Master Chief Collection for Xbox One, a single disc that contains updated versions of past Halo games. Microsoft will release new episodes every week following the launch date. Ridley Scott (Alien, Blade Runner) is the executive producer behind the series, and Sergio Mimica-Gezzan (Battlestar Galactica, The Pillars of Earth, Heroes) is directing.
For now, the only way to watch Nightfall is to buy the collection.
At a recent press event about the future of the sci-fi franchise, Halo developer 343 Industries said that Nightfall’s story is “a very deliberate piece” that connects Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3, and Halo 4 to next year’s Halo 5: Guardians. The new characters seen in the show will play “a very interesting role” in that game.
This is a separate project from the TV series that famed filmmaker Steven Spielberg is producing, which won’t air until fall 2015. But just like the 2012 Halo film Forward Unto Dawn, both shows will take place in the same universe as the games. According to Nancy Tellem, head of Xbox Entertainment Studios, Halo: Nightfall started shooting a couple of weeks ago.