Halo (TV series)
Halo | |
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File:HALO (TV series logo).png | |
Genre | Military science fiction |
Based on | Halo series |
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Directed by | |
Starring |
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Country of origin | United States |
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Executive producers |
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Running time | 60 minutes |
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Original release | |
Network | Paramount+ |
Halo is an upcoming American military science fiction television series developed by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane for the streaming service Paramount+, based on the video game franchise of the same name. It is produced by Amblin Television, 343 Industries, Showtime Networks, One Big Picture, and Chapter Eleven, and follows a 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic-military alliance of several advanced alien races.
Pablo Schreiber and Jen Taylor star as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and Cortana, the latter reprising her role from the video game series and are joined by Natascha McElhone, Yerin Ha, Charlie Murphy, Shabana Azmi, Bokeem Woodbine, Kate Kennedy, Natasha Culzac, and Bentley Calu. Development for a Halo television series began in 2015. Killen was hired in June 2018, with the series officially announced with a 10-episode order for Paramount+. Filming began in Ontario, Canada in October 2019, although post-production for the first five episodes were affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming eventually resumed in Budapest, Hungary in February 2021.
Halo is set to premiere on March 24, 2022 on Paramount+.[1]
Premise
Halo is set to follow "an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."[2]
Cast
Main cast
- Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a towering genetically-engineered supersoldier known as "Spartan-117".
- Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, a scientist for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and creator of the Spartan-II Project.
- Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo
- Charlie Murphy as Makee
- Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Director of ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence).
- Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066
- Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, a UNSC officer and daughter of Jacob Keyes.
- Kate Kennedy as Kai-125
- Natasha Culzac as Riz-028
- Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134
- Rafael Fernandez as Captain Jacob Keyes, a seasoned UNSC commander and confidant of Master Chief's.
Voice cast
- Jen Taylor as Cortana, an artificial intelligence (AI) construct modeled on the brain of Dr. Halsey. She is entrusted to the care of Master Chief as her knowledge makes her an attractive target for the Covenant. Taylor reprises her role from the Halo video game series.[3][4]
Production
Development
The television series had gone through development hell with a planned release in 2015 with Steven Spielberg as producer,[5] later changed to a 2019 release with Rupert Wyatt as producer,[6] then a 2020 release,[7] the show is now currently planned to air in 2022 with Otto Bathurst as producer.[8]
On May 21, 2013, Steven Spielberg was attached in executive producing a television series based on the video game franchise Halo, distributed by Xbox Entertainment Studios and Spielberg's company Amblin Television, to be titled Halo: The Television Series.[9] As of August 2015, the series had still been in active development.[10]
On June 28, 2018, Showtime was given a 10-episode series order. Kyle Killen was set to be showrunner, writer and executive producer, while Rupert Wyatt was attached as director and executive producer.[11] On August 12, it was announced that Master Chief would be the main lead of the series and that the series would tell a new story from the video games while respecting its canon at the same time.[7] On December 3, Wyatt stepped down as director and EP due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Otto Bathurst in February 2019.[12][13] In March 2019, Steven Kane was added as co-showrunner alongside Killen.[14] On February 24, 2021, the series was moved from Showtime to Paramount+.[8] Showtime president Gary Levine said that the show was an outlier for the company's brand, and as a "big broad tentpole show" it was a better fit on Paramount's service.[15] On June 25, 2021, it was reported that both Kane and Killien would be exiting as show runners following the completion of season one. Killien had left prior to the start of production, due to him feeling like he wasn't able to fulfill the duties of showrunner, with Kane taking the reins as lead show-runner until post production work had been completed. However, should the show get picked up for a second season, Kane would not return.[14]
Casting
From April–August 2019, the cast for the series was announced, with Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief.[16] He was joined by Yerin Ha, Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy.[17] In November 2020, Jen Taylor replaced McElhone as Cortana.[18]
Filming
Principle photography commenced October 2019.[19] In 2019, the series spent over $40 million on production costs. The five filmed episodes were re-edited under the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, with production on the sixth episode and reshoots being planned in Ontario, Canada. Filming eventually resumed fully in Budapest in February 2021.[20][needs update][21]
Marketing
The first trailer for the series debuted online during the 2022 AFC Championship Game, while also revealing the March release date.[21]
Release
The series is expected to debut on Paramount+ on March 24, 2022.[8][1]
References
- ^ a b Bailey, Kat; Bankhurst, Adam (January 30, 2022). "Halo TV Series Release Date Revealed". IGN. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
- ^ Petski, Denise (June 28, 2018). "'Halo' Live-Action Series Based On Xbox Video Game Franchise Set At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
- ^ "Halo TV Show Recasts Cortana, Will Now be Played by Longtime Voice Actress Jen Taylor". DualShockers. 2020-11-11. Retrieved 2020-11-11.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (November 11, 2020). "Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress". IGN. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ Ross, Bonnie (May 16, 2014). "The Halo Journey". Xbox.com.
- ^ Walker, Alex (June 29, 2018). "Showtime Announces Live-Action Halo Series, Airs Early 2019". Kotaku.com.
- ^ a b Prudom, Laura (August 12, 2018). "Showtime's Halo TV Series Will Tell a 'New Story' But Respect Canon". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2021). "'Halo' TV Series Moves From Showtime To Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "Next-Gen Xbox One Unveiled With Content Including Spielberg-Produced 'Halo' Series". Deadline. May 21, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Goldman, Eric (August 12, 2015). "Showtime Still Developing Halo TV Series". IGN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Hibberd, James (June 28, 2018). "Halo TV show finally greenlit by Showtime: 'Our most ambitious series ever'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (December 3, 2018). "'Halo' Director Rupert Wyatt Exits Showtime TV Series". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 21, 2019). "'Halo' TV Series Finds New Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Otterson, Joe (2021-06-25). "'Halo' Showrunner to Exit Paramount Plus Series After Season 1 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2021-06-25.
- ^ Gajjar, Saloni (August 24, 2021). "Showtime presidents on giving Dexter a "proper finale" and finding a new home for Halo". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
- ^ Shanley, Patrick (April 27, 2019). "Pablo Schreiber to Play Master Chief in Showtime's 'Halo' Live-Action Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ "The cast is assembled. The table reads are complete. Production on the @Showtime Halo series is about to begin!". November 9, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2020 – via Twitter.
- ^ Skrebels, Joe (November 12, 2020). "Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress". IGN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ O’Connor, James (December 22, 2019). "Halo: TV Show Production Has Begun, And New Infinite Concept Art Released". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ Barraclough, Leo (June 30, 2020). "Hungary Exempts U.S. Cast, Crew From European Union Ban (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
- ^ a b Rosario, Alexandra Del; Rosario, Alexandra Del (2022-01-30). "'Halo': Paramount+ Series Gets Premiere Date, Master Chief & Spartans Face Off Against The Covenant In Dramatic Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-30.
External links
- Works based on Halo (franchise)
- Paramount+ original programming
- Upcoming television series
- 2020s American science fiction television series
- American television shows based on video games
- Television series by Amblin Entertainment
- Television series set in the 26th century
- Television series about alien visitations
- Television shows filmed in Hungary
- Live action television shows based on video games