A live-action TV series based on the Halo series of video games has been given a release date of early 2022.
Originally set to be released on Showtime, the series will now show exclusively on Paramount+ in the USA. However, Showtime will still produce the series, along with 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg’s TV company, Amblin Television.
According to Deadline, production had begun in Budapest last year prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which then halted work for most of the year. Filming has now restarted, with around 60% of the series completed so far.
The first Halo game turns 20 this year, with its release in 2001 launching a huge and influential franchise which continues to capture the hearts of gamers everywhere. In total, 81 million copies of the video games have been sold worldwide and the franchise has also expanded into novels, comics, and even an Anime series.
Starring Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief Spartan John-117, Natasha McElhone as Dr. Halsey, and Jen Taylor as Cortana, the upcoming TV series will see a dramatic conflict take place between humanity and the Covenant in the 26th Century. It’s been eight years in the making so far, with the original announcement of a live-action Halo adaptation coming all the way back in 2013. After going through a long period of development hell, it was finally green-lit in 2018.
In addition to the conflict, there will also be more personal stories surrounding the Spartans. “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,” said David Nevin of Showtime Networks. “The story is about reclaiming what makes them human, and therefore it’s a very powerful story.”
It has not yet been announced which platforms the show will be streaming on outside of the US.
Words by Benjamin Hobson