After years in and out of development hell, it sounds like the much-loved "Gears of War" video game franchise may actually be making the jump from your gaming console to your Netflix home page. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the streaming giant is set to tackle not one but two adaptations of the massively popular series, which currently includes five main games plus several spin-offs.Per THR, the Netflix deal in partnership with The Coalition includes plans for a live-action feature film adaptation, as well as an adult-oriented animated series.

I'll admit, I had a bad feeling about this episode right when the first-look images dropped, featuring a glaring absence of the Master Chief, Dr. Halsey, or anyone else that the overarching storyline of "Halo" has focused on up to this point. Those concerns only increased as early as the "Previously on 'Halo'" segment, which took us all the way back to the opening minutes of the premiere to remind us of the situation taking place on the planet of Madrigal in the aftermath of the Covenant invasion.

Every fan has their own specific reasons for what drew them to "Halo" in the first place. For many, the clean and simple gameplay of "Combat Evolved" held plenty of appeal all on its own, rewarding intuitive gamers who swapped guns and employed various strategies depending on the needs of specific situations and level designs.

After such a long and tortured path to making its way to a screen near you, you didn't think the creators behind "Halo" would neglect to include all sorts of Easter eggs and references -- no matter how obvious or how niche -- throughout the long-awaited premiere episode of the new Paramount+ series, did you?

After such a long and tortured path to making its way to a screen near you, you didn't think the creators behind "Halo" would neglect to include all sorts of Easter eggs and references -- no matter how obvious or how niche -- throughout the long-awaited premiere episode of the new Paramount+ series, did you?