It feels like an eternity since we first got word of a live action project based on Microsoft’s epic first-person shooter, Halo. The software titan has been trying to capitalize on the popularity of its hit game series starring the enigmatic Master Chief and his fellow Spartan super-soldiers since 2013.
Due to setbacks from the enormous cost required to bring the sci-fi saga to life, the TV project that began life with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment went through various iterations before almost being left for dead. Now, after nearly a decade, Halo is storming onto Paramount+ this week with its power armor fully charged, a more realistic looking Cortana delivering sage advice, and a new tagalong character for Master Chief that might surprise dedicated fans.
Let’s charge into the fray and see what’s in store for Halo’s small-screen debut.
WHAT IS HALO’s RELEASE DATE?
Halo enters Earth’s drop zone on Thursday, March 24, exclusively on Paramount+ in the United States and Canada.
WHEN IS HALO’s RELEASE TIME?
Paramount+ unveils new movies and TV shows at midnight Pacific, which is 3 a.m. Eastern.
HOW MANY EPISODES ARE IN HALO SEASON 1?
The first season will have a total of nine episodes, and with a hefty reported price tag of $10 million per installment, expect some stunning sci-fi visuals and otherworldly set pieces.
WHAT IS THE PLOT OF HALO?
This new live-action series is a loose adaptation of Halo, and there will be some changes to the storyline gamers know. The basics involve a 26th-century interstellar war between humanity and a genocidal alien alliance called the Covenant.
Unfolding in what’s officially been dubbed the “Silver Timeline,” which exists outside of the games’ long-established continuity, the series was partially influenced by the expanded Halo universe found in comic books and novels. Master Chief and the brand new Fireteam Silver are the main attraction here, but the stoic warrior has been given an orphaned teenage companion named Kwan (Yerin Ha) as a sidekick.
“The intent of the Silver Timeline is to allow [our show] to be founded in canon,” producer Kiki Wolfkill told Inverse. “The things you see and hear are all familiar and grounded in the spirit of the core themes of Halo — hope, heroism, humanity, wonder — while giving space for the story to develop in a way it needs to for the medium.”
WHO’S IN THE HALO CAST?
Our mysterious Master Chief will be played by Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black, American Gods) and yes, it’s been confirmed that the action star will be removing his helmet for the first time.
Rounding out the rest of the main cast are Natascha McElhone (Californication), Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), and Danny Sapani (Penny Dreadful).
Jen Taylor will also be reprising her role as Cortana, the holographic AI that aids Master Chief on his missions.
IS THERE A NEW HALO TRAILER?
Yes! Paramount+ released the latest trailer for Halo on March 14, and it shows intense combat in a bleak future.
WILL THERE BE A HALO SEASON 2?
Yes, Paramount+ has already given Halo the green light for a second season. No specific timeline was announced, but expect Season 2 to arrive no earlier than 2023.
Halo will hit Paramount+ on March 24.
