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Halo (TV series)

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Halo
File:Halo2022TitleCard.jpg
Genre
Based onHalo
by Xbox Game Studios
Developed by
Starring
Music bySean Callery
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes2
Production
Executive producers
  • Steven Spielberg
  • Steven Kane
  • Kiki Wolfkill
  • Frank O'Connor
  • Bonnie Ross
  • Justin Falvey
  • Darryl Frank
  • Otto Bathurst
  • Toby Leslie
  • Kyle Killen
  • Scott Pennington
  • Karen Richards
Producers
  • Sheila Hockin
  • Charlotte Keating
  • Michael Armbruster
CinematographyKarl Walter Lindenlaub
EditorAaron Marshall
Running time54–59 minutes
Production companies
Budget$90 million[1]
Original release
NetworkParamount+
ReleaseMarch 24, 2022 (2022-03-24) –
present

Halo is an American military science fiction television series developed by Kyle Killen and Steven Kane for the streaming service Paramount+, based on the video game franchise of the same name. Produced by Showtime Networks, 343 Industries, Amblin Television, One Big Picture, and Chapter Eleven, the series follows a 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, a theocratic-military alliance of several advanced alien races.

Pablo Schreiber and Jen Taylor star as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 and Cortana, with the latter reprising her role from the video game series, and are joined by Natascha McElhone, Yerin Ha, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Olive Gray, Charlie Murphy, Kate Kennedy, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Danny Sapani. Development for a Halo television series began in 2013.[2] Killen was hired in June 2018, and the series officially announced a 9-episode order for Paramount+. Filming began in Ontario, Canada in October 2019, although post-production for the first five episodes was affected due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming eventually resumed in Budapest, Hungary in February 2021.

Halo premiered on March 24, 2022, on Paramount+,[3] with the series already renewed for a second season.[4] A portion of the series was shown at SXSW on March 14, 2022.[5] The series received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics, who praised its visuals, production design, action sequences, the performances of Schreiber and Ha, and faithfulness to the source material, but criticized its directing, screenplay, lack of substance, CGI, and slow pacing, while some considered it to be "derivative" of other science fiction television series.

Premise

Halo is set to follow "an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."[6] Executive producer Kiki Wolfkill revealed that the series is a standalone story that takes place within its own "Silver Timeline" and that is inspired by the game franchise rather than a continuation, adaptation, or prequel, explaining that they wished to give the two Halo canons a chance to evolve individually to suit their media.[7][8]

Cast

See also: List of Halo characters

Main cast

  • Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, a towering genetically-engineered supersoldier known as "Spartan-117". Schreiber had never played Halo until he was cast in the role.[9]
    • Logan Shearer plays a young John-117.
  • Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Director of ONI (Office of Naval Intelligence)
  • Natasha Culzac as Riz-028
  • Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, a UNSC officer and daughter of Jacob Keyes
  • Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo, an Insurrectionist teenager from the outer colony planet Madrigal
  • Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134
  • Kate Kennedy as Kai-125
  • Charlie Murphy as Makee, a human member of the Covenant who opposes her own race
  • Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes, a seasoned UNSC commander and confidant of Master Chief
  • Jen Taylor as the voice of Cortana, an artificial intelligence (AI) construct modeled on the brain of Dr. Halsey. She is entrusted to the care of Master Chief as her knowledge makes her an attractive target for the Covenant. Taylor reprises her role from the Halo video game series.[10][11]
  • Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066
    • Jude Cudjoe plays a young Soren-066.
  • Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey/Cortana, a scientist for the UNSC (United Nations Space Command) and creator of the Spartan-II Project

Guest

Episodes

No.Title [12]Directed byWritten byOriginal release date [12]
1"Contact"Otto BathurstKyle Killen and Steven KaneMarch 24, 2022 (2022-03-24)
In 2552, the Covenant attack an Insurrectionist outpost on the planet Madrigal, wiping out everyone except for teenager Kwan Ha before the Spartans of Silver Team intervene. In a nearby cave system, the Master Chief discovers and retrieves a Forerunner artifact that reacts to his touch, displaying mysterious symbols and unlocking some of his sealed childhood memories. A surviving Covenant Elite witnesses and reports this to the Prophet of Mercy on High Charity. On Reach, Dr. Halsey clashes with Admiral Parangosky over their methods and Halsey's desire to create an AI from her own mind. After Kwan refuses to cooperate, the Master Chief is ordered to assassinate her, but he refuses and goes rogue, earning Kwan's trust by showing her his face. Cornered and facing military discipline for refusing the assassination order when returning to a UNSC base, the Master Chief touches the artifact again which disables power in the base and restores power to his ship, allowing him and Kwan to escape. In the process, the Master Chief discovers that he had drawn the artifact as a child, suggesting that he has a past connection to it.
2"Unbound"Otto BathurstKyle Killen and Steven KaneMarch 31, 2022 (2022-03-31)

Production

Development

The television series had gone through development hell with a planned release in 2015 with Steven Spielberg as producer that later changed to a 2019 release with Rupert Wyatt as director and producer,[13][14] then a 2020 release;[15] ultimately releasing in 2022 with Otto Bathurst replacing Wyatt.[16]

On May 21, 2013, Steven Spielberg was attached in executive producing a television series based on the video game franchise Halo, distributed by Xbox Entertainment Studios and Spielberg's company Amblin Television, to be titled Halo: The Television Series.[2] As of August 2015, the series had still been in active development.[17]

On June 28, 2018, Showtime was given a 10-episode series order. Kyle Killen was set to be showrunner, writer and executive producer, while Rupert Wyatt was attached as director and executive producer.[18] On August 12, it was announced that Master Chief would be the main lead of the series and that the series would tell a new story from the video games while respecting their canon at the same time.[15] On December 3, Wyatt stepped down as director and EP due to scheduling conflicts. He was replaced by Otto Bathurst in February 2019, when it was reported that Bathurst would be directing the pilot along with several other episodes.[19] It was also revealed that the episode count had decreased from 10 episodes to 9.[20][21] In March 2019, Steven Kane was added as co-showrunner alongside Killen.[22] On February 24, 2021, the series was moved from Showtime to Paramount+.[16] Showtime president Gary Levine said that the show was an outlier for the company's brand, and as a "big broad tentpole show" it was a better fit on Paramount's service.[23] On June 25, 2021, it was reported that both Kane and Killen would be exiting as show runners following the completion of season one. Killen had left prior to the start of production, due to him feeling like he wasn't able to fulfill the duties of showrunner, with Kane taking the reins as lead show-runner until post production work had been completed. However, should the show get picked up for a second season, Kane would not return.[22] In January 2022, it was revealed by executive producer Justin Falvey that the show has potential to last multiple seasons and that David Wiener was being eyed as the showrunner for a potential season two, with Kane staying onboard as a consultant.[24] On February 15, 2022, ahead its series premiere, Paramount+ renewed for a second season, with Wiener set as showrunner and executive producer.[4]

Casting

From April–August 2019, the cast for the series was announced, with Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief.[25] He was joined by Yerin Ha, Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy.[26] In November 2020, Jen Taylor replaced McElhone as Cortana.[27]

Filming

Principal photography commenced October 2019.[28] In 2019, the series spent over $40 million on production costs. By 2021, the series' budget had crossed the $200 million mark.[1] The five filmed episodes were re-edited under the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown, with production on the sixth episode and reshoots being planned in Ontario, Canada. Filming eventually resumed fully in Budapest in February 2021.[29][needs update][30]

Music

On February 14, 2022, it was revealed that Sean Callery would compose the score for the series.[31]

Release

Marketing

The first trailer for the series debuted online during the 2022 AFC Championship Game, while also revealing the March release date.[30]

Broadcast

The first two episodes premiered ahead of release on March 14 at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival. The series then debuted on Paramount+ on March 24, 2022.[16][3] The first episode set a record as Paramount+'s most-watched series premiere globally in its first 24 hours, though no exact viewership numbers were revealed.[32]

Reception

The first season currently holds a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 6.1/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Halo is too derivative of better science-fiction series to emerge a fully-formed elite, but glimmers of promise and faithfulness to the source material signal it's not out of the fight just yet."[33] On Metacritic, the show has a weighted average score of 61 out of 100, based on 19 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[34]

References

  1. ^ a b Vary, Adam (March 16, 2022). "More Than $90 Million and 265 Script Drafts Later, 'Halo' Is Finally a TV Show". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Next-Gen Xbox One Unveiled With Content Including Spielberg-Produced 'Halo' Series". Deadline. May 21, 2013. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Bailey, Kat; Bankhurst, Adam (January 30, 2022). "Halo TV Series Release Date Revealed". IGN. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Del Rosario, Alexandra (February 15, 2022). "'Halo' Renewed For Season 2 By Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  5. ^ "Halo". SXSW. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
  6. ^ Petski, Denise (June 28, 2018). "'Halo' Live-Action Series Based On Xbox Video Game Franchise Set At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 28, 2018.
  7. ^ @Halopedia (December 16, 2021). "The upcoming Halo TV show now has its own canon status! It falls under something called the "Halo Silver Timeline". According to @k_wolfkill, this was done to help protect both the Core Canon and the TV show's story, letting each evolve to best suit the medium that they are on" (Tweet). Retrieved February 4, 2022 – via Twitter.
  8. ^ Plant, Logan (December 16, 2021). "The Halo TV Series Won't Be Canon". IGN. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  9. ^ Vary, Adam (March 16, 2022). "More Than $90 Million and 265 Script Drafts Later, 'Halo' Is Finally a TV Show". Variety. Retrieved March 18, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  10. ^ Moore, Logan (November 11, 2020). "Halo TV Show Recasts Cortana, Will Now be Played by Longtime Voice Actress Jen Taylor". DualShockers. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  11. ^ Skrebels, Joe (November 11, 2020). "Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress". IGN. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  12. ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Halo on Paramount+". The Futon Critic. Retrieved March 12, 2022.
  13. ^ Ross, Bonnie (May 16, 2014). "The Halo Journey". Xbox.com.
  14. ^ Walker, Alex (June 29, 2018). "Showtime Announces Live-Action Halo Series, Airs Early 2019". Kotaku.com.
  15. ^ a b Prudom, Laura (August 12, 2018). "Showtime's Halo TV Series Will Tell a 'New Story' But Respect Canon". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  16. ^ a b c Andreeva, Nellie (February 24, 2021). "'Halo' TV Series Moves From Showtime To Paramount+". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
  17. ^ Goldman, Eric (August 12, 2015). "Showtime Still Developing Halo TV Series". IGN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  18. ^ Hibberd, James (June 28, 2018). "Halo TV show finally greenlit by Showtime: 'Our most ambitious series ever'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  19. ^ Goldberg, Matt (February 21, 2019). "'HALO' TV Series Lands 'Robin Hood' Director Otto Bathurst". Collider. Retrieved February 14, 2022.
  20. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (December 3, 2018). "'Halo' Director Rupert Wyatt Exits Showtime TV Series". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  21. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (February 21, 2019). "'Halo' TV Series Finds New Director". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  22. ^ a b Otterson, Joe (June 25, 2021). "'Halo' Showrunner to Exit Paramount Plus Series After Season 1 (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
  23. ^ Gajjar, Saloni (August 24, 2021). "Showtime presidents on giving Dexter a "proper finale" and finding a new home for Halo". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  24. ^ Porter, Rick (February 1, 2022). "'Halo' Eyes Third Showrunner for Potential Season 2". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  25. ^ Shanley, Patrick (April 27, 2019). "Pablo Schreiber to Play Master Chief in Showtime's 'Halo' Live-Action Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 27, 2022.
  26. ^ @HaloTheSeries (November 8, 2019). "The cast is assembled. The table reads are complete. Production on the @Showtime Halo series is about to begin!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  27. ^ Skrebels, Joe (November 12, 2020). "Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress". IGN. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  28. ^ O'Connor, James (December 22, 2019). "Halo: TV Show Production Has Begun, And New Infinite Concept Art Released". Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  29. ^ Barraclough, Leo (June 30, 2020). "Hungary Exempts U.S. Cast, Crew From European Union Ban (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  30. ^ a b Rosario, Alexandra Del (January 30, 2022). "'Halo': Paramount+ Series Gets Premiere Date, Master Chief & Spartans Face Off Against The Covenant In Dramatic Trailer". Deadline. Retrieved January 30, 2022.
  31. ^ "Sean Callery Scoring Paramount+'s 'HALO' TV Series". February 14, 2022. Retrieved February 16, 2022.
  32. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (March 25, 2022). "'Halo' Sets Premiere Viewership Record For Paramount+". Deadline. Retrieved March 27, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  33. ^ "Halo: Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  34. ^ "Halo: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
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