The Paramount+ Halo TV Show is something that fans of the long-running first-person shooter series have been eagerly awaiting for what seems like decades at this point, after many starts and stops, we're nearly on the cusp of seeing Master Chief John-117, the iconic Spartan, take over our television screens like it's 2001 all over again.
A lot of time has passed since we first got word that a Halo TV show was finally happening (when it was supposed to land on Showtime), and even longer since a television adaptation of the revolutionary video game was first announced to be in the works, so it's safe to say that there is a lot to go over as we look toward the upcoming release of the Paramount+ series. That being said, here are some things we know about the Halo TV show.
The Halo TV Show Premieres March 24 On Paramount+
For the past few years of pre-production and even filming, the Halo TV show was slated to land on Showtime at some point, though a definitive date was never announced. At one point in 2019, Variety even reported that the series would land on the premium cable channel in the first quarter of 2021, which obviously ended up not happening. And not only did Halo not premiere in 2021, it didn’t even stick with Showtime, instead it was moved to Paramount+ where it will debut March 24, 2022.
This is certainly good news for anyone with a Paramount+ subscription, especially if they’re also longtime fans of the first-person shooter franchise. And while we wait for the show to arrive in the spring, now seems like a good time to check out some of the other great Paramount+ originals.
The Halo Cast Includes Pablo Schreiber, Natascha McElhone And Jen Taylor
When Halo takes to Paramount+ in March it will see some of the video game world’s most iconic characters brought to life for the first time ever. Stepping in as Spartan-117, aka Master Chief, is Pablo Schreiber (The Wire, American Gods). Providing the voice for Master Chief’s most trusted ally and digital companion Cortana is Jenn Taylor, who voiced the character in the video game franchise on which the show is based. Natascha McElhone (Californiacation, Designated Survivor) will join the Halo cast as Dr. Halsey, the scientist behind the creation and rollout of the Spartan super soldier program.
Other members of the Halo cast include Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), Danny Sapani (Penny Dreadful), Ryan McParland (6Degrees), Burn Gorman (The Expanse), and Fiona O’Shaughnessy (Nina Forever).
The Halo TV Show Experienced An Extensive Delay In Production During The Pandemic
Principal photography for Showtime's Halo TV show began back in November 2019 when the cast and crew set out for Budapest. A considerable amount of the show was filmed during the first stint of production before the COVID-19 pandemic forced the producers to stop filming and send everyone home. Though he wouldn't say how many of the episodes ended up getting filmed between late 2019 and early 2020, the star of the Halo TV show, Pablo Schreiber explained during a conversation with Collider over the summer that they were well into shooting the first season and that it was going "very, very well."
After months of not being able to reenter production, things finally kicked back up for Showtime's Halo TV Show November 2020, when the show's official Twitter account posted a picture of Pablo Schreiber with Master Chief's iconic mask.
The Halo TV Show Will Tell An All New Story Faithful To The Game's Canon
Halo fans afraid the upcoming series would be nothing but a retelling of the events of the first game or others in the franchise will be happy to hear that it appears that won't be the case. Back in August 2019, Showtime president Gary Levin told Deadline that while the Halo TV show will be faithful to the video game series' canon, it will be exploring new drama within that universe. The head of the premium cable network also told the outlet that they are working hand-in-hand with 343 Industries (the studio responsible for the games since 2007), so that nothing comes as a disservice to the source material.
In January 2022, 343 Industries posted a lengthy blog post on the Halo Waypoint website going into great detail about the show’s canon, which is being referred to as the “Silver Timeline,” and how it works with the storyline of the main games:
The Silver Timeline is a unique vision of the Halo universe that contains and embraces many key elements of the core canon that has spanned the last two decades, but with relevant contextual and narrative details that diverge in ways appropriate (and necessary) to the storytelling opportunities presented by the TV medium and our collaboration with creative partners.
Essentially, this is being put in place to preserve the canon of the mainline game series while also allowing for growth in other mediums, like the Halo TV show, in the future.
There Is Potential For A Second Season Of The Halo TV Show
A second season of the Halo TV show has yet to be officially announced (especially with the show having not yet made its Paramount+ debut), but there is potential for a second season, even if there will be some changes to the showrunning duties, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Per the report, Fear the Walking Dead and Brave New World producer David Wiener will be taking over in the event of a second round of action, succeeding Steven Kane, who led the show during the actual physical production of Halo Season 1, and Kyle Killen, who was on board to supervise writing and production. Despite both showrunners having departed the series before the first episode even aired, Kane will be staying on as a consultant if the second season were to happen.
Paramount+ Released A Halo Trailer In January 2022 Showing Off The Series’ Action And Story
In the middle of the CBS broadcast of the AFC Championship game on Sunday, January 30, 2022, Paramount+ finally gave viewers their first in-depth look at Halo with a sprawling and action-packed trailer that gave longtime fans of the series something to be excited about after years of anticipation. This visually stunning footage shows humanity, with the help of the video game franchise’s central hero Master Chief, in the heat of battle against the Covenant that looks like something out of the XBOX exclusive game franchise.
More Than $41 Million Has Already Been Spent On The Production Of The Halo Show
It sounds like Showtime's Halo TV show will have nice production value (or at least very well-paid actors), as the production spent more than $41.3 million on its shoot in Budapest, Hungary. This figure was reported in a spending report carried by Variety in June 2020 and didn't even take into account any reshoots that may be filmed elsewhere or any of the post-production work that will certainly be required to tie it all together. Now, this doesn't compare to shows like Game of Thrones or even The Crown, which both have had a history of large-figure budgets for each season. That being said, the Halo TV show sounds like it's going to be quite pleasing for the eyes, at least.
The Halo TV Show Will Consist Of Nine Episodes
When the Halo TV show was first announced back in 2018, Showtime (the series’ initial home) revealed it had ordered a 10-episode season based on the iconic video game franchise. At some point between that initial announcement and early 2019, however, the episode count was trimmed down to nine episodes, according to The Hollywood Reporter. And despite facing multiple delays during production, no additional episodes were trimmed from the order and the show’s first season remains at nine episodes.
Well, that about catches us up with everything we know about the Halo TV show. If you want to know what else will be joining the long-awaited series, take a look at CinemaBlend’s 2022 TV schedule so you don’t miss a thing.
