After nearly a decade in development, the iconic Xbox franchise Halo is making the jump from a first-person shooter game to the small screen, debuting Thursday, May 24 on Paramount+.
In the new Halo trailer, there’s not too much on what Master Chief’s live action missions will look like, but we do get some more insight on some of the supporting characters, who have plenty of their own baggage.
Set in the universe that began in 2001 with the release of Xbox’s original Halo game, Halo will blend deeply developed personal tales with action, adventure and a beautifully conceived vision of the future to dramatize an epic 26th-century war between mankind and an extraterrestrial menace called as the Covenant, per Paramount+’s synopsis.
Halo, which has already been renewed for a second season, will launch March 24 on Paramount+ in the U.S. and in all international markets where the streaming service is available.
The series stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as the Master Chief, Spartan-117. Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Halsey, the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan super soldiers and Jen Taylor (Halo game series, RWBY) as Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.
Additional stars include Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) and Danny Sapani (Penny Dreadful). Also joining the cast as original characters are Ryan McParland (6Degrees), Burn Gorman (The Expanse) and Fiona O’Shaughnessy (Nina Forever).
Halo changed the way people thought about video games and has since developed into a global entertainment sensation, with over 82 million copies sold globally and over $6 billion in total sales income.