After more than 20 years, Halo is finally being adapted into a feature live-action TV show. A project initially began development in 2005, but it never came to fruition. And after the series' initial announcement in 2013, it will take almost a decade for the show to finally air.
Coming off the successful launch of Halo Infinite, now is a better time than any to ramp up anticipation for Master Chief's trip to Hollywood. From the cast, the release date, and the latest news, we've rounded up all you need to know about the Halo TV Show.
Read More: Halo Infinite Battle Royale Mode: Leaks, Voice Teasers, and Latest News
Halo TV Series Latest News
16th February 2022 - Season 2 has been confirmed
Ahead of the show's premiere, Halo has already been renewed for another season. The news was confirmed by Paramount Plus' chief programming officer, Tanya Giles:
Halo is an expansive, world-building opportunity for Paramount+, and we’re thrilled to give fans a second season to look forward to before we launch the series next month.
The second season will switch showrunners from Steve Kane to David Wiener; from Fear the Walking Dead.
11th February 2022 - Halo's premiere might get pushed back
The original composers of the first game, Marty O'Donnell and Mike Salvatori, have issued a lawsuit against Microsoft.
They claim the company has provided insufficient royalty payments. The two are deciding whether to issue a preliminary injunction, which would hinder the series' premiere on Paramount Plus.
Halo TV Series Trailers
31st January 2022 - New trailer
A full trailer was revealed during the AFC Championship Game. We catch a glimpse at more Master Chief, Cortona, alongside familiar enemies and weapons.
10th December 2021 - First Look Trailer
An official preview aired during The Game Awards, giving us a look at some of the show's cast, locations, and the hero himself.
16th November 2021 - The First Teaser Revealed
During Xbox's 20th anniversary, Microsoft revealed the first footage of the Halo TV Series, giving us a glimpse of Master Chief's armour and even the man behind it.
Halo TV Series Cast
Pablo Schreiber - Master Chief
click to enlarge
+ 9The Xbox mascot will be portrayed by veteran actor, Pablo Schreiber. The star emerged as a breakout star in The Wire and has since appeared in movies like Den of Thieves and 13 Hours. He's also no stranger to TV, having been nominated for an Emmy Award in Orange Is The New Black while his latest appearance was alongside Chris Evans in Defending Jacob.
Natascha McElhone - Dr. Catherine Halsey
click to enlarge + 9The founder of the Spartan-II project will be donned by Natascha McElhone. Having starred in cult favourites like Solaris and The Truman Show, she is best known for portraying Karen in Californication.
Bokeem Woodbine - Soren-066
click to enlarge + 9Woodbine is a seasoned actor, with a career spanning almost three decades. From Ray to Spider-Man: Homecoming, the beloved star will don the role of Soren-066, a strong individual for the Spartan-II project who suffered unfortunate physical circumstances.
Yerin Ha - Quan Ah
click to enlarge + 9New actress, Yerin Ha, is playing the young girl who runs into Master Chief. Other than a small TV Show, Ha hasn't appeared in much so the Halo TV show marks a major breakthrough for the aspiring actress.
Charlie Murphy - Makee
click to enlarge + 9Raised by the Covenant, Makee will be played by Irish actress Charlie Murphy. Having collated an impressive collection of TV shows and movies, her most iconic is that of Jessie Eden in Peaky Blinders.
Shabana Azmi - Admiral Margaret Parangosky
click to enlarge + 9Shabana Azmi is one of the most dominant Bollywood actresses of all time, with a career that spans nearly 50 years. The legendary star will play Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the powerful leader with a commanding presence.
Jen Taylor - Cortana
click to enlarge + 9Halo icon, Jen Taylor, is transitioning from videogames to TV with the actress set to voice Cortana. Taylor has donned the character ever since the franchise's inception in 2001.
Halo TV Series Plot
Narrative points are being kept under wraps, but the official synopsis emphasises the show's scope and its vast array of characters:
Dramatising an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, Halo the series will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.
Halo TV Series Release Date
The highly-anticipated show is premiering on March 24, 2022.
The project has faced numerous delays since its initial announcement, with the series only beginning production in November 2019. Due to the pandemic, filming was pushed back and restarted in fall 2020.
No official date has been given as of yet, but we'll update you as soon as we hear more.
Halo TV Series Paramount+
The TV show will officially air on Paramount+ in the US. Initially, the project was set to broadcast on Showtime. But, Deadline broke the news that the 10-episode season had moved to the streaming service. But, Showtime and Paramount+ are both under the same umbrella company of CBS so there was no real loss. While Amblin Entertainment is assisting in producing efforts.
With Paramount+ set to roll out globally in 2022 in the likes of the UK and the rest of Europe, Halo could be a streaming service seller, launching alongside Paramount+. But, we'll update this page if these details become confirmed.
Halo Films And TV Projects That Never Happened
It's been a long, treacherous road to bring Halo to Hollywood.
A film was fast-tracked into production in 2005, acting as an adaptation of Combat Evolved. Ex Machina's Alex Garland was commissioned by Microsoft to write the script in 2005 and finished that very same year. The iconic Peter Jackson and District 9's Neil Blomkamp joined as producer and director respectively.
Microsoft began shepherding the script to multiple studios from Universal to Sony. They even sent out people dressed as Spartans to deliver the written material in person at studios across L.A., giving each one 24 hours to read it and come to a decision - Fox and Universal agreed.
click to enlarge + 9But the project eventually fell apart due to its excessive budget while Microsoft and the studios couldn't come to an agreement on certain financial demands in the box office. That's not to mention certain creative disputes, like a cyberpunk setting for the film that was very controversial. It's not all bad, as some of the prop guns and visual effects made for the Halo movie were actually used in District 9.
Dreamworks began discussing ideas of developing a Halo movie, more so based on the novels rather than the games. But, these plans eventually fell apart as well.
That was until 2013.
Hot off Game of Thrones' success and its boundary-defining production, a big-budget Halo TV show was seen as possible. Steven Spielberg announced that the Microsoft franchise would be getting its own series.
click to enlarge + 9Halo did get the live-action treatment through a web series in Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn. While Halo: Nightfall also followed, though not as beloved as the former. But, they weren't both enough to match the scale of the franchise.
After several years of delays, script changes, casting adjustments, and financial disputes, Halo is finally getting the big-budget treatment demanded by fans.
For more articles like this, take a look at our Halo , Halo Infinite , and Entertainment News pages.