The wait is nearly over for Halo fans. A highly anticipated series, which began development all the way back in 2015, will release its first full-length trailer this upcoming Sunday, Jan. 30, during the AFC Championship Game’s halftime.
The series has been in the works for more than six years now, prompting many to believe it would never see the light of day. Fans of the video game franchise have seen several attempts at a live-action adaptation go awry, including the botched big-screen project that flopped more than a decade back.
An official Twitter account for the Halo television series confirmed that the series is, in fact, a go with a succinct tweet on Jan. 25. The account announced that “the wait is almost over” before providing details about when and where fans can watch the trailer reveal. The tweet was accompanied by a photo of the Master Chief — Halo‘s protagonist — looking genuinely incredible in game-accurate Mjolnir Powered Assault Armor, the uniform worn by the franchise’s Spartan soldiers.
The live-action adaptation will star Pablo Schreiber of The Wire and Orange is the New Black fame in the lead role, alongside Natascha McElhone, Bentley Calu, Bokeem Woodbine, Charlie Murphy, Yerin Ha, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, and Kate Kennedy in various other roles. Jen Taylor will reprise her role from the video games, portraying the AI Cortana.
The Halo series has been mired in development hell since 2015 but appears to finally be ready for release. The trailer is expected to announce an official date for the series debut, which fans are hoping is only a few months away. They shared this sentiment in the comment section of the announcement tweet, flooding it with reaction GIFs, screenshots from the Halo game, and exclamations of joy.
A number of fans found their excitement muted by the streaming service announcement. The Halo series will be streamable on Paramount Plus, according to the announcement tweet, which will leave many fans without a way to enjoy it. While most American viewers will have the option to simply subscribe to yet another streaming service, not everyone has this option. Paramount Plus isn’t available worldwide, leaving many international fans to wonder how they can enjoy the series.
While few specific details have been given, Halo franchise transmedia head Kiki Wolfkill promised fans that “no Spartan” will be “left behind,” indicating that the series will be available on other streaming services for non-U.S. viewers.