After various failed attempts to get it going in movie form, the “HALO” game franchise is finally coming to life as a live-action Paramount+ series produced in conjunction with 343 Industries and Amblin Television.
Pablo Schreiber leads the cast of this epic 26th-century tale of a conflict between humanity and a theocratic alien threat known as the Covenant – just like the games which have sold over 80 million copies.
As such, it will arrive with a large in-built fanbase and the heavy expectations of fandom. Will this be a slavish remake of the game’s narrative, or will it be a true adaptation that makes some changes and takes some risks?
Talking with ComicBook.com recently, producer Kiki Wolfkill says that a distinctive take on the source material is what’s required – even if it means potentially making some of the fans unhappy:
“It’s such an interesting needle to thread with beloved characters. How do you give a different perspective on them, how do you make their journey meaningful in a different way while respecting their past journey and the things that people love about the journeys they’ve been on already.
It’s a constant challenge; sometimes a struggle. There are different burdens that will go onto the TV show than the game carries. So if we can navigate where we have a little bit of freedom to try and explore some different ideas or express a character differently, we try and take those.
It’s amazing to have these dedicated fanbases and communities. But it’s also hard because there are so many diverse perspectives. At some point, you can’t satisfy all the voices. You need to have your own voice.”
The series also stars Jen Taylor as the A.I. Cortana and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Halsey along with Bokeem Woodbine, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Natasha Culzac and Shabana Azmi.
“HALO” is slated to premiere in early 2022.