After 265 script drafts and $90 million dollars later, the ‘HALO’ series is finally here from Paramount+.
‘HALO’ is an adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name. The player assumes the role of Master Chief “John”, who along with his AI Cortana, fight in an interstellar war against the Covenant.
The ‘HALO’ pilot premiered during SXSW to a full house of die-hard fans, newcomers, and the main cast of the show. The crowd roared with excitement throughout seeing their childhood hero come to life on screen, something that hopefully will carry through for the remaining episodes.
In an interview with Variety, the creative team behind ‘HALO’ made it clear it will not be a clean cut adaptation. This might just be the change needed for Halo not to fall into the curse of previous live action adaptations.
What Makes This Adaptation Different?
Previously, game adaptations have failed to keep audiences engaged due to one primary factor: protagonists of most games are blank slates that the player creates a profile for. As a result, individualization is lost and crammed into 90-minutes, the characters and world will suffer.
Halo has such an expansive canon that it has the ability to create a new story that isn’t just the campaign. It will be able to benefit from exploring new and familiar worlds, characters, and have true developments over it’s 10-hour seasons. The deviation from the original source material will give a new perspective on how the Halo universe operates. Namely that the UNSC aren’t one hundred percent the good guys and neither is Master Chief.
The show will follow Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) and the Silver Team after they stop an attack on Madrigal and encounter the daughter of the rebel leader and lone survivor, Kwan Ha (Yerin Ha). But, after Master Chief comes into contact with a piece of alien tech – he begins to see his life before the Spartan program. His blank slate begins to shift as he becomes untrusting of the UNSC and their orders. This arch will be something exciting to watch as he develops his humanity over the seasons.
Final Verdict
‘HALO’ is not the straight adaptation that fans may have wanted, but it’s the adaptation they need.
The fight sequences will blow your mind – or whatever body part those plasma rifles hit. Master Chief’s POV leads to some gnarly kills, familiar faces are around, and yes, plenty of energy sword deaths to go around.
We are hopeful for this Halo TV series. With season 2 already promised from Paramount+, we can’t wait to see where the series will go from here.
‘HALO’ will be available to stream March 24 on Paramount+.
To keep up with all things Halo, check out our tag here on Downright Creepy.
