Although rumors which surfaced this week may suggest otherwise, a film based on the Halo franchise is not currently in development, Microsoft reaffirmed today.

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Lest anyone get the idea that such a movie is in the works, Microsoft has issued a new statement on the matter to Eurogamer which reads in part, "We plan to continue telling the Halo story through innovative channels, but there are no plans for a Halo motion picture at this time."As you'd expect for a series as popular as Halo, the possibility of a movie based on it has lingered for more than a decade. At least as far back as 2004, there was reportedly interest in Hollywood in such a movie, possibly even one helmed by Alien and Blade Runner director Ridley Scott -- a man whose name was involved in the rumor making the rounds this week which Microsoft is now trying to dispel. A report in 2004 suggested Scott had been approached regarding a Halo movie following the release of Combat Evolved and that the success of Halo 2 could have been the impetus for him to tackle the project.In 2005, there were reports of a script being delivered by 28 Days Later writer Alex Garland, and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson later signed on to produce the film. Jackson would then choose Neill Blomkamp -- who went on to direct District 9 when the Halo movie didn't pan out -- to be the film's director, but by late 2006, 20th Century Fox and Universal dropped support for the movie due to budget concerns.Microsoft tried to move ahead to no avail, as the project was deemed dead in 2007, only to have hope renewed in 2008 and then again in 2010 . Steven Spielberg's name would come up in 2010, but following a false alarm in 2011, it became increasingly clear that a proper Halo film was not in the works. In the meantime, we have, however, seen the release of the live-action Forward Unto Dawn series Just last year, Blomkamp indicated he still has interest in making a Halo movie happen, but Microsoft appears set on moving in a different direction. Last May, the company revealed Spielberg is working on an original Halo TV series -- something Microsoft claims will not be "filler." Further details on that project have yet to be released.

Chris Pereira is a freelance writer who spends his spare time agonizing over the final seasons of The X-Files. Check out what he's saying on Twitter and follow him on IGN