Halo TV Series Trailer Pits Spartans vs. Sangheili in Special ‘Silver Timeline,’ Intros Cortana — Get Premiere Date
As SNL‘s Stefon might say, the new trailer for Paramount+’s live-action Halo TV series has everything — and what’s more, the video game adaptation now has a premiere date.
Based on the Xbox franchise, Halo will launch on Paramount+ in the U.S. (and in international markets where the streaming service is available) on Thursday, March 24, it has been announced.
The new trailer, released Sunday during the NFL’s AFC Championship game, offers the broadest view yet of the TV series’ world, including Master Chief (played by American Gods‘ Pablo Schreiber) and multiple Spartan peers (including Bokeem Woodbine’s Soren-066 and Kate Kennedy’s Kai-125), hulking Sangheili and the avian/reptilian Kig-Yar.
Other cast on display in the trailer are Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Spartan II program creator Dr. Catherine Halsey, Yerin Ha (Reef Break) as Quan Ah (a young woman from the Outer Colonies who lived during the Human-Covenant War), Olive Gray (EastEnders) as UNSC Commander Miranda Keyes (daughter of Dr. Halsey) and Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) as the original character of Makee (aka the icy blonde in a black, rubbery get-up).
You also get a first look at the A.I. Cortana, who will again be voiced the the video games’ own Jen Taylor.
Per the official logline, Paramount+’s Halo takes place in “the universe that first came to be in 2001 with the launch of Xbox’s first Halo game,” “Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant.”
But as very recently detailed by game developer 343 Industries, the TV series is more specifically set in a “Silver Timeline” that is “independent” of, but “authentic” to, the video game world.
“To tell the best Halo stories we can, we want to protect the integrity, simplicity, and future of the core canon, but also not be limited by it when faced with the realities of a new medium and the process of production,” this 343 blog entry explains. “As a result, we made the decision to set the Halo television series in an authentic, but independent timeline.”
“The Silver Timeline is a unique vision of the Halo universe that contains and embraces many key elements of the core canon that has spanned the last two decades,” the explainer continues, “but with relevant contextual and narrative details that diverge in ways appropriate (and necessary) to the storytelling opportunities presented by the TV medium and our collaboration with creative partners.”
So, for example, the “coincidence” of Chief and Cortana simply stumbling across the eponymous Halo ring is gone, 343 notes. And High Charity, the Covenant’s capital city, is glimpsed in perhaps an unexpected state.
“To be clear,” 343 Industries states, “these will be two parallel, VERY similar, but ultimately separate timelines whose main events and characters will intersect and align throughout their very different cadences.”
Additional Halo cast members include Shabana Azmi (24: India), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron) and Danny Sapani (Penny Dreadful). Rounding out the ensemble are Ryan McParland (6Degrees), Burn Gorman (The Expanse) and Fiona O’Shaughnessy (Nina Forever).
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Not a huge fan of Cortana’s design here. And the whole show somehow feels cheap, despite ostensibly having a premium look. But that’s all me nitpicking off a short trailer. I’m still intrigued by the show, and I’m looking forward to watching the final product.
It’s weird that she isn’t purple, otherwise I think it’s fine.
“Alternate but authentic” timeline seems like a smart creative choice.
Otherwise, they’re just rehashing story points that fans have already seen (and which were designed to be played in a first-person FPS game, vs watched on TV).
I don’t play video games so it’s all new to me; I’ll try it, but if the characters are too thinly drawn I’ll probably pass.
Shouldn’t be an issue with this series. Master Chief himself might come off a bit stoic at first, but give him a minute. He’s got layers once he starts to bond with Cortana. The rest of the cast should be fullly formed..
My husband used to play the Halo games for hours. My favorite part of watching the campaigns was to watch the story unfold. These games were good at telling a compelling story. I’m hoping it translates to a TV series.
It could be ok but something about the trailer just felt off. It looked like it was somehow both low budget and big budget at the same time.
Using some “In The Air Tonight” version instead of the TOTALLY AWESOME Halo theme seems… Silly.
I mean, just modernising it a bit, like they did for Halo 2 and the Mjolnir Mix of the theme (feat. Steve Vai) would’ve worked wonders.