Just a few months after resuming production on the long-in-development project, the live-action Halo series is shifting gears as ViacomCBS is moving it from original network Showtime to recently rebranded streaming service Paramount+, according to Deadline.
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“It delivers the visceral excitement of playing the game, along with a much deeper emotional experience around the Spartans, human beings who got their humanity chemically and genetically altered,” David Nevins, Chief Creative Officer, CBS & Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks, said in a statement. “The story is about reclaiming what makes them human, and therefore it’s a very powerful story. We were on the hunt for signature shows beyond the Star Trek franchise on CBS All Access and were thinking, what could be a defining series for Paramount+. Halo always fit the bill but seeing it, we felt it would work.“
In the series adaptation, 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. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure, and a richly imagined vision of the future.
Pablo Schreiber (13 Hours, American Gods, Orange Is the New Black) will be playing Master Chief, the iconic Spartan super soldier and humanity’s last hope against the alien Covenant. Joining him are Natasha McElhone (Californication) as both Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana, Bokeem Woodbine (Overlord) as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi (Fire) as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Spartan Vannak-134, Natasha Culzac (The Witcher) as Spartan Riz-028, and Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe) as Spartan Kai-125.
Otto Bathurst (Robin Hood, Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror) will be directing Showtime’s adaptation of the Halo series. Based on the award-winning and record-shattering Xbox franchise, the 10-episode season will be written by showrunner and executive producer Kyle Killen (Awake) and will star Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as the famous Master Chief.
Halo is produced by Showtime in association with Microsoft/343 Industries, along with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Scott Pennington will executive produce alongside Killen and Wyatt, along with Justin Falvey and Darryl Frank for Amblin Television. The series will be distributed globally by CBS Studios International.
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Reinventing how people think about video games, Halo and has grown into a global entertainment phenomenon. The franchise has sold more than 77 million copies worldwide and has grossed more than $5 billion in sales. The series is set to premiere in the first quarter of 2022.
