Screen adaptations of video games have long had a reputation for being groan-worthy at best, but they’re having a bit of a resurgence of late as more studios realize the potential gold mine they represent. Netflix recently broke the mold with its show Arcane. Based on the popular MOBA game League of Legends, Arcane somehow broke the curse of the video game adaptation. It was just really good. But will any of the upcoming adaptations manage to follow its lead?
One show that’s taking that challenge head-on is Paramount+’s new Halo series. Halo hardly needs an introduction; it’s one of the most popular game franchises of all time. Since the first game released in 2001, fans have been following the enhanced human known as the Master Chief as he’s kicked alien butt and secured the future of humanity. But will that story of intergalactic war translate well to the screen?
Soon we’ll be able to find out for ourselves. Halo’s release is just around the corner. Here’s everything we know about the show in one convenient place.
Halo release date
The most important bit first: Halo releases exclusively on Paramount+ starting Thursday, March 24. Paramount has been surprisingly tight-lipped about some specific details about the series’ release strategy, so while we assume that it will be a weekly release we haven’t heard an official confirmation.
The same goes for the episode count. It’s believed to be 9 or 10 episodes, but Paramount hasn’t actually announced the final count. Rest assured, this is something we’re keeping a sharp eye on and we expect to hear more about soon.
Halo cast
Though the Master Chief has always been at the center of the Halo games, the show will take more of an ensemble approach. In addition to Pablo Schrieber (Master Chief), the show also has Jen Taylor returning to the role of the Master Chief’s AI companion Cortana. Taylor voiced Cortana in the video games, so it’s pretty cool to see that she’s continuing the role in the television show.
Beyond Shrieber and Taylor, Halo’s cast also includes Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Charlie Murphy, Danny Sapani, Ryan McParland, Burn Gorman and Fiona O’Shaughnessy.
In addition, Steven Spielberg is attached as an executive producer, so there’s some serious clout behind the scenes as well.
Halo synopsis
Paramount+ has released an official synopsis for Halo, and it’s short, sweet and to the point:
"In its adaptation for Paramount+, HALO will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant."
And really, what more needs to be said? That’s not to say that the Halo games didn’t have a good story; they absolutely did. But did any of us really run to them for that reason?
Nah. It was all about the Master Chief wreaking havoc and fighting aliens. Even though the show will explore things quite a bit more, like the origin of the Spartan enhanced soldiers, it’s a safe bet that it’ll probably still have plenty of the action that made the video games so popular.
Halo trailer
Speaking of action, Paramount+ has also released a full trailer for Halo, which gives us a good look at Pablo Schrieber as the Master Chief as well as a bunch of other characters. He runs, he shoots, he punches aliens in the face and uses lost space technology. It looks like fun. The trailer also gives us our first looks for the alien Covenant as well as Cortana.
Halo debuts on Paramount+ March 24.
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