Forward unto premium cable: Showtime orders 10 episode live adaptation of Xbox's 'Halo'

Showtime is officially bringing the long awaited Halo TV series out of cryo-sleep with a 10 episode order. Network president David Nevins is describing plans for the show as Showtime's "most ambitious series ever" and promises "personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."

Even if you haven't played the Halo games, you've almost certainly heard of them. Xbox's multibillion-dollar first person shooter franchise garnered hundreds of thousands of monthly active users in its prime and is still going strong with its latest installment, Halo Infinite, announced earlier this month at E3.

Sounds like the perfect science fiction series starter pack, right? Well, maybe. The mammoth cannon of Halo and possible fear of disappointing its passionate fan base may explain the series' massive delays.

The project was first announced at E3 in 2013 as a collaboration with Steven Spielberg, but years of limited movement left many to conclude it was dead. Earlier this year, Nevins confirmed to TV Guide that the project was still in the works. And this latest announcement finally takes Halo's status from "rumored" to "in pre-production."

Now that it's really happening, here's what we can expect. Kyle Killen, known for his series Awake, will lead the adaptation as showrunner, executive producer, and writer. Rise of the Planet of the Apes alumnus Rupert Wyatt is primed to direct a portion of the first season as well.

If you're not familiar with the games, here is the fastest TL;DR I can give you regarding story. A religious alien cult descends on earth. Someone's gotta fight 'em. Enter genetically engineered soldiers. Now, throw in as much lore as Game of Thrones and you're off to the races.

Assuming the show does really come through, this is undeniably awesome news for fans. The not so great part? The Halo adaptation isn't set to begin filming until next year.

And considering the amount of special effects this sucker is gonna need, we're betting it'll be a minute until we're watching the premiere.

Luckily, Showtime expects "audiences who have been anticipating it for years to be thoroughly rewarded." Here's hoping.