Halo TV Series Set For 'Early 2022' Release
The Witcher, The Last of Us, Resident Evil, and now, Halo. Going back a decade, most would've probably laughed you out the door if you'd suggested a live-action TV series based on a video game. But in today's society, there's a reinvigorated passion for pixels as some of the biggest franchises out there are finding a new home on the small screen. While the likes of Detective Pikachu and Sonic the Hedgehog have proved video game movies can lord it over the box office, more humanised outings seem destined for TV.
After years of speculation and stalling, we'll finally get to see John-177 in action as Master Chief. For as long as we can remember, studios have been trying to get a Halo series off the ground. We're one step closer thanks to Paramount+. For those up on their Halo history, they'll know various live-action outings have been pitched and fallen to the wayside. Away from a planned movie that never came to pass, Paramount has been tinkering on a live-action series since 2013.
What's the latest on the Halo series?
According to Deadline, the Halo TV series has made the leap from Showtime to Paramount and will be part of Paramount+'s impressive lineup in "early 2022". Parent company ViacomCBS had apparently been toying with the idea of moving Halo from Showtime, but after executives saw the first footage, they decided to cement the deal. Of course, Halo is something of a big deal considering it has sci-fi legend Steven Spielberg attached as an Executive Producer.
The partnership between 343 Industries and Amblin Television sees Orange is the New Black's Pablo Schreiber take on the role of Master Chief, who is described as “Earth’s most advanced warrior in the 26th century and the only hope of salvation for a civilization pushed to the brink of destruction by the Covenant, an unstoppable alliance of alien worlds committed to the destruction of humanity”. The Truman Show's Natascha McElhone is tipped to play Dr. Catherine Halsey - the creator of the Spartan soldiers. Finally, Halo staple Jen Taylor will reprise her voice role as Cortana, an entity known as "the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race".
The rest of the cast is rounded off by Fargo's Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Kate Kenedy. It's a suitably impressive cast, but in an era where Hollywood stars like Meryl Streep and Anthony Hopkins share the screen with Pedro Pascal appearing in literally every big production, it's clear the Golden Age of television is far from over.
What's next for the Halo TV series?
It sounds like Halo is much further along than we first thought. Heading toward early 2022 on a tight schedule, Halo is shooting in Budapest after production was originally halted in March 2020. Before COVID-19 hit, reports claim 60% of Halo's first season had already been filmed.
Discussing the hype surrounding Halo, David Nevins, Chief Creative Officer at CBS and CEO of Showtime, told the site: "It delivers the visceral excitement of playing the game, along with a much deeper emotional experience around the Spartans, human beings who got their humanity chemically and genetically altered. The story is about reclaiming what makes them human, and therefore it’s a very powerful story".
Only last year, 343 denied claims the long-awaited Halo Infinite had been delayed due to "distractions" caused by the series. With Halo Infinite finally set to arrive on Xbox this year, the Halo TV series is perfectly primed to make the most of its booming fanbase next year. Hopefully, there are no more delays with Paramount's production.
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