Despite the fact that the Halo TV series began production in 2015, Master Chief’s transition to a somewhat different form of screen has not been simple. The sci-fi series was initially set to air on Showtime, but it has subsequently been picked up by Paramount+, with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television producing it.
Apart from that and a few casting specifics, there isn’t much more we know at this time. Last year, a trailer was released at The Game Awards, and while it featured iconic characters like a slightly odd-looking Thunderhawk, High Charity, and Chief himself, it didn’t reveal much about the plot other than the fact that the series will most likely revolve around the events of the first three games.
The series seems to be exploring John’s past and time as a youngster in the Spartan training program, but we won’t know for sure until it airs later this year or when additional information becomes available. Regardless, here’s all we know about the Halo TV series for now, including cast members, leaked photographs, and development data.
When will the Halo TV series debut?
The program was supposed to premiere in the first quarter of 2021, according to Showtime. The Covid-19 epidemic delayed production on Showtime’s Halo TV series, as it did many other things in 2020.
The Halo TV series will premiere on Paramount+ in Q1 2022.
It provides us our first glimpse at the series’ visual design, characters like Dr. Catherine Halsey, and a fairly nice looking depiction of the Covenant holy city, High Charity, albeit it doesn’t disclose much. There’s also some Halsey speech in the clip, probably concerning Master Chief.
The pictures of a toddler in the teaser, as well as Halsey’s conversation about her ambitions for Chief, indicate that the series will likely center on John’s past as part of the Spartan training program. The teaser also offers us a glimpse of Master Chief, who seems to be in top form.
Although it isn’t much, here are the first few seconds of the Halo video. Master Chief is riddled with scars and that armor? That armour is very impressive.
The Halo TV series has released images.
The Halo TV series has been in development since late 2020, which is long enough for an early teaser or production video to have leaked onto the internet.
Is Master Chief a character in the Halo TV series?
Yes. He is, indeed. He’s been verified at every turn, and we already know who will portray him. Master Chief will be played by actor Pablo Schreiber. You may recognize Schreiber from his portrayal as dockworker Nick Sobotka in season 2 of The Wire, or from recent series and films such as American Gods, Skyscraper, and Orange Is the New Black. He’s approximately 6’5″ tall, according to IMDB “long.
Who is among the cast of the Halo TV series?
The Halo TV series has recast Cortana, the blue-hued AI, after Covid-19 delays and associated scheduling modifications. Natascha McElhone, who played Cortana and Dr. Catherine Halsey, “the brilliant, troubled, and cryptic designer of the Spartan supersoldiers,” was initially cast in both roles. McElhone will continue to portray Dr. Halsey, while Jen Taylor, who has previously played Cortana in Halo games, will take up the role of Cortana. At this time, it’s unclear if Taylor will play Cortana in the program or merely give the voice for a CGI figure.
Furthermore, Bokeem Woodbine will play Soren-006, “a morally complicated privateer on the outside of human society whose destiny will pit him against his former military commanders and his old buddy, the Master Chief.” Shabana Azmi portrays Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the chief of the Office of Naval Intelligence.
Three Spartans have been revealed, all of whom are new to Halo with this series: “Spartan Vannak-134, a cybernetically enhanced supersoldier enlisted as a kid and serving as the Master Chief’s de facto deputy, will be played by British actor Kalu. Culzac, a British actress, will play Spartan Riz-028, a cybernetically modified killing machine who is focused, professional, and merciless. Kennedy portrays Spartan Kai-125, a fearless, inquisitive, and dangerous Spartan supersoldier. Yerin Ha was earlier revealed to portray Kwan Ha, a clever, ambitious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies who meets Master Chief at a critical juncture in their lives.”
What type of Plot will be told in the Halo TV series?
The plot is being kept under wraps, although Levine said that it would be a new tale “very respectful of the canon” that will use the franchise’s framework of the Covenant battle and the namesake Halo space stations. This is backed up by this official post from 343’s head of transmedia, Kiki Wolfkill, who says the show would strive to strike a balance between fan expectations and providing something fresh.
“When we consider what it means to bring videogame franchises to the big screen or the small screen,” Wolfkill wrote, “the biggest challenge can often be finding the right balance between moment fans have already experienced and moments fans have yet to experience through a different medium, perspective, or creative lens.” “We’re looking forward to navigating these creative waters in order to deliver you something that is both respectful of what you already know and love, as well as fresh, unexpected, and exciting.”
When may it happen in the Halo timeline? For a TV series, the Covenant’s conflict has multiple areas of interest. Chief’s origins, conscription into the Spartan program (which would include an appearance of the titular planet from 2010’s Halo: Reach), and eventual first contact with the Covenant could all be used as a backdrop for plenty of on-camera opportunities to show off John-117’s face in various stages of grizzled determination. It might make sense to adapt the Halo book Fall of Reach, but bringing in the Halo rings and developing a new plot seems improbable.
From Showtime to Paramount+, the Halo TV series will air.
According to Deadline, Showtime parent company ViacomCBS has opted to relocate Halo from Showtime to Paramount+, its future streaming service. CBS All Access, which most is known for hosting Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard, will be replaced by ViacomCBS’s Paramount+.
“We were on the quest for trademark projects outside the Star Trek franchise on CBS All Access,” according to CBS chief creative officer David Nevins, and after watching some early footage from the series, Halo seemed like a suitable match. “It might be a defining concert for a newish service with all the artillery of a major entertainment company behind it,” he added.
It doesn’t seem that anything will change for the individuals working on the Halo series; it’ll still be controlled by Showtime execs. However, for those of us hoping to see it, the fact that Paramount+ and Showtime will retain distinct premium memberships will be significant.
How many episodes are there going to be?
The original order from Showtime was for ten hour-long episodes, which is a standard season length for big-budget prestige TV shows these days. Since then, the order has been reduced to nine episodes. Showtime is banking on Halo’s illustrious pedigree to provide the network’s “most ambitious series ever.” There’s no need to rush.
“[Halo] is a space-based science fiction film set in the future, “President David Nevins said at the TCA conference.”It isn’t a work of fiction. In my perspective, there has only been one legendary franchise in television history in that area, and that is Star Trek. It took a long time to get to the point where we thought we had something truly compelling and that, in terms of character depth, fit on Showtime. It’ll be a massive production.”
Who is involved in the production?
Amblin Entertainment, founded by Steven Spielberg, is one of the larger studios in charge of production. It’s unclear if the famed director would have a part, but Showtime’s project looks to be a continuation of an idea Spielberg was slated to executive produce in 2013. Given Spielberg’s history and continuing love in science fiction, as well as his familiarity with the nostalgic draw of video games, there’s a good possibility you’ll see his name in the credits.
Developer 343 Industries (and, by extension, Microsoft) is also engaged in some way. Hopefully, this is excellent news and not the start of another Assassin’s Creed or Tomb Raider game. 343’s role may simply be to ensure that the series feels genuinely Halo, letting the TV professionals to perform their jobs.
Whose behind the Halo TV series’ Script and direction?
Kyle Killen was originally selected as the showrunner and writer. Killen’s most recent project, the critically criticized Mind Games, was unable to sustain an audience beyond its first and only season. His previous and more successful ventures were Fox’s Lone Star and NBC’s Awake, both of which had a one-season run and shared the same fate. While Killen is a relative newcomer to the deep sci-fi genre, his repeated interest in theming a protagonist to face several realities might serve as a fascinating basis for delving into Halo’s vast universe’s supernatural features.
“We made a conscious choice to recruit a writer not known for sci-fi and not renowned for major combat movies or anything,” Levine said during a TCA tour, explaining why Killen was chosen over more seasoned writers. Because it’s already in the Halo series, and we’ll take care of it. But we also want to make sure we get underneath the Spartans’ strong armor.”
As a co-showrunner, Steven Kane (whose credits include American Dad! and The Last Ship) has been hired. Killen is no longer working on the project, and Kane is expected to leave after the first season.
Director Rupert Wyatt was supposed to be a part of the project, but he dropped out in December. Otto Bathurst, who most recently helmed the 2018 Robin Hood and the first episode of Black Mirror, is now the series’ primary director and executive producer (you know, the one with the pig).
