It's finally happening — the long-awaited Halo TV show based on the popular video game franchise of the same name is finally about to come to the Showtime network. Over the course of the past decade, the small-screen adaptation of the premiere XBOX series about the universe-trotting Master Chief has had all sorts of setbacks and reshuffling, but if a November 2019 tweet from Showtime is to be believed, production is or was underway.
The series, which is slated to debut at some point in early 2021 will focus on Master Chief, who is being played by Orange Is The New Black and The Wire star Pablo Schreiber, during the Human-Covenant War which served as the backdrop of the 343 Industries line of the video games. But besides the setting and a few of the characters included in the project, not much is known about the 10-episode series. Here are just five aspects of the game that should be featured in this highly-anticipated action science-fiction series.
The Flood Has To Be A Distant Threat The Show Builds Towards
Much like the White Walkers in Game Of Thrones, the Flood in the Halo video game series is viewed by many of the characters as a nearly unstoppable moving force of parasites with a single motivation: the decimation of all sentient life in the universe. And plus, the Flood is the reason behind the Halo Array in the first place as it was constructed to be a last-ditch attempt at wiping out the parasitic force, even if it meant wiping out all life in the galaxy to do so.
Anyone who played the Halo: Combat Evolved upon its release on the original XBOX will tell you that nothing was more frightening than encountering the zombie-like creatures in the depths of cavernous interior of the Halo structure. Just when you thought the Covenant forces were too much to handle, in came these will little bastards who just kept coming at you, no matter how many you mowed down with your arsenal of weapons.
That is why it is paramount that the show keeps the Flood on the back burner as long as possible. Sure, the show can reference or even introduce the parasitic species early on to build some tension, but don't show the full potential of the alien force until the time is right. It could even be a great way of setting up Season 2, if that comes to fruition.
The SPARTAN Programs Should Be Referenced
Like any good science-fiction action series, even the "good guys" in Halo are pretty shady, especially when you consider the origin of the SPARTAN programs, a series of projects to create super soldiers that was responsible for the creation of the Master Chief, aka John-117, the six-foot, seven-inch tall primary protagonist featured throughout most of the franchise.
With John-117 being the central character of the upcoming series, the show will have to take some time to explore his origin as well as the creation of the SPARTAN-II project, as difficult as that may be to watch. For those who don't know or maybe forgot, the program consisted of a series of secretive and highly unethical projects to create an army of super soldiers for the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) during the Human-Covenant War that at one point involved kidnapping young children who were orphaned by the war and forced to undergo a series of the experiments and modifications to become larger, stronger, and faster soldiers.
Instead of bogging down the limited 10-episode first season, the Halo series should only make references to the SPARTAN programs through flashbacks of John-117's transformation as well as other characters who were either part of the project or witnessed its effects on young children.
The Master Chief/Cortana Relationship Has To Be A Major Aspect Of The Show
In August 2019, Polygon reported that the role of Cortana had been filled with the hiring of Natascha McElhone, who would also be portraying Dr. Catherine Halsey, the creator of the SPARTAN program as well as the basis for the creation of the artificial intelligence that accompanies Master Chief on his journeys throughout the game series.
With the character confirmed to be a part of the upcoming Showtime series, the relationship between the AI and Master Chief has to be one of the major aspects, if not the most important relationship in the show. Cortana and Master Chief went through so much over the course of their journeys, and their constant back-and-forth helped provide players with much-needed emotion and entertainment during their adventures together. There were laughs, tears, and plenty and plenty of awesome action involving the pair, and it would translate well to the television show.
It Would Be Cool To Have The Show Primarily Set On The Halo From The First Game
There was nothing cooler in 2001 than the first time you stepped foot on the eponymous ringworld in Halo: Combat Evolved, and with a television series on a premium cable channel, seeing the iconic location is a must for fans of the game would be an amazing nostalgia trip. With an epic scale and diverse terrain, the Halo could provide for some amazing action sequences on the surface as well as below, where more sinister things await.
That doesn't even begin to mention original purpose of the Halo Array's creation centuries before the first game in the series takes place. With so much backstory and possibilities for stories in the first season and beyond, the introduction of the ring planet would open the floodgates, so to speak.
And The Show Better Try Not To Reinvent The Wheel And Instead Just Include The Original Theme Song
There is nothing more annoying than watching a show based on a beloved property with a great theme song only for the series to try something new and make a new entrance song (I'm looking at you, The Big Show Show). With that in mind, the original Halo menu theme with those glorious chants is still just as popular in 2020 as it was in 2001, so please, please, please don't change it.
The simple, yet evocative chorus of chants set the tone of the game before you even started the campaign (or hours upon hours of multiplayer action), so why not take advantage of the sentimental value and set the show up for success with diehard fans from the jump? Otherwise, I'll have to settle for the 10-hour videos of the song on YouTube.
Those are just five of the ways I hope Showtime's upcoming Halo series ties into the video game. Do you agree with the list or is there something you feel I left off? Either way, let me know in the comments below and make sure to check back for the latest television, movie, and pop culture news here at CinemaBlend.
