Halo - The Live Action TV Series - By Steven Spielberg

[Pennywise]

Another delay! Arrgh!

 

[Silvermoth]

Ha, oh well that’s that on that I guess. It’s taken so long, we’ll pretty much be in the same year as halo by the time it comes out

 

[Slick]

I don’t mind lol at least it’s still happening. I just want some more casting news.

 

[Pennywise]

To Infinite and beyond: Attracting new Halo fans without a new game

Wolfkill admits she was "certainly naïve about the challenge of what it would mean to adapt a character like Master Chief" when she began, but efforts on the much anticipated Halo TV series has helped her understand that balance.

"With Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, or these IPs where it doesn't matter what comes out, I engage in it because I always want to be part of that universe. That's where I want us to get to with Halo"

"As much as we really strive to give Chief a journey and an emotional arc in the games, it's also something that's been designed so people can either take it or leave it, depending on how much they want to invest in the story and the games," she explained. "That's an important aspect of the TV show -- his journey, who he is and what it means for him to grow and evolve -- and that's just really complex to express. It means that you see him in circumstances you don't see in the game, and that feels a little jarring as a player.

"The hope is that the journey of the show and the story is at a quality and execution that people can set aside the parts they feel they own of him, still feel respected for feeling that ownership, but we have to be able to tell a story. It's tough. I think it will be exciting, invigorating to see him come to life, and I think everyone will have the moment of, 'Oh, I thought of him like this,' but hopefully we can move him into the story."

It doesn't help that Master Chief's origin story has already been told in the original Fall of Reach novel. When Xbox eventually adapted this into the game Halo: Reach, albeit without Master Chief, there were some discrepancies between book and game. For Wolfkill's transmedia efforts, this raises the ever-divisive issue of what is and isn't canon. How much is she and her team beholden too, and does that limit the stories she wants to tell?

"That's exactly the kind of thing we want to avoid -- if there are places where we end up moving adjacent to canon, because we need to for the sake of telling the best story for that medium, we'll be very open about it. To make changes and not explain it or even acknowledge it doesn't feel respectful.

"Game of Thrones is a great example -- I read all those books and when they strayed from the books' story I immediately noticed it, but I totally understood why they did that because it created a great moment or added depth to a character."

For Wolfkill, transmedia is, "just an expression of your universe and the connection that people have to it." All 343's efforts in this regard are designed to show the strength and depth of the Halo fiction, especially in the build up to a crucial new release like Infinite. The obvious but valid comparison is Star Wars, which is able to tell stories in different ways because there is, "such fan love and respect for that universe and those characters." And even though Star Wars has made its own missteps, it's something Wolfkill would love for Halo to emulate.

"What I ultimately want is that we have this universe that people love, feel loyal to and have nostalgia for," she said. "I think about it in the same way I feel about Star Wars, Star Trek, Lord of the Rings, or these IPs where it doesn't matter what comes out, I want to engage in it because I always want to be part of that universe. That's where I want us to get to with Halo."

The Halo TV Show Wants To Be Like Game Of Thrones, But Without The Incest

A Halo TV show is in the works, starring Orange is the New Black actor Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, and Microsoft has bold ambitions for it. 343 Industries transmedia boss Kiki Wolfkill said recently that the Halo show is aiming to be similar to Game of Thrones in a few ways.

"It's hard to find an analog. We talk about Game of Thrones a lot in terms of scope and scale and complexity of relationships," she said in the latest episode of The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook podcast with Insomniac Games CEO Ted Price.

Wolfkill pointed out that, like Game of Thrones, the Halo series is steeped in politics.

"A lot of the background of Halo is this sort of political drama. It's something that [is touched on] really lightly in the games and you see more of in some of the other mediums," she said. "Some of that [Game of Thrones-style] complexity is interesting."

Unlike Game of Thrones, however, the Halo TV show will not feature incest. "No incest planned at all for this show, I'll say that. If you're looking for that, you won't find it here," Wolfkill said.

Wolfkill went on to say that she was personally impressed with the first seasons of Game of Thrones that followed the narrative of the books closely. When there was a shift from the writing in George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, this change felt deserved and you can understand why changes were made, Wolfkill said.

This is something 343 aspires to with the Halo show.

Wolfkill also spoke about how she gets bothered when people say it's impossible to make a video game translate to a good TV show or movie. Just because it hasn't been done before, or rarely, that doesn't mean it cannot be done, she said.

"It's not because you can't, it's because it's a really hard challenge, and everyone is still trying to figure it out," she said. "There isn't something inherent in the format of video games that makes it impossible to adapt; it's just a hard challenge. Literally day to day we are making decisions on what can change, what shouldn't change, what we can we bend."

Another hugely important part of making the Halo TV show shine is 343 humbling itself and recognizing that the team at Showtime knows more about TV than 343 does.

"We are putting a lot of our trust in our TV partners. You have to be humble and recognize the expertise you're bringing is different from the expertise that they have," she said. "And you have to be able to take that leap of faith and trust that the things they want and are lobbying for and need are the right things. That's probably the hardest part; that leap of faith."

343 has been working with Showtime for 5 years already. It hasn't been all fun. The experience has "really been a struggle at times," Wolfkill said, referring to 343 and Showtime coming to terms on contracts, as well as key talent dropping out.

When the Halo TV show is finally released, no matter how it's received, Wolfkill said she and her team will be proud about going about it in the right way. She also believes no matter what the Halo TV show will have moved the medium forward in some way.

For his part, Price chimed in to say part of the reason many video game movies and TV shows have been mediocre or worse is because people from gaming assume they know how to make a good TV show or movie.

The Podcast Kiki did is here, and she starts talking about the show at around 36:00. There's more than the articles provided! All of it is worth listening to, though!

The AIAS Game Maker's Notebook

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Slick]

‘Halo’: Natascha McElhone & Bokeem Woodbine Among Six Cast In Showtime Series Based On Xbox Franchise – Deadline

Lol I was just saying to myself when are we going to get more casting.

 

[Pennywise]

Showtime Announces 'Halo' Production Date, More Cast, Addresses Rupert Wyatt Departure [TCA 2019]

Schedule
We would have loved to see Rupert Wyatt’s Halo pilot. Showtime would have loved to see Rupert Wyatt’s Halo pilot. But it didn’t work out and the show must go on.

“We have continued our forward motion and it gets more and more exciting,” Levine said. “Obviously changing a director will affect the project a little bit, but Otto Bathurst is a marvelous director, unbelievably passionate about the material. He’s been leading our team in Budapest brilliantly. We’re really excited about the way the series is prepping, that we actually have a production date ahead because clearly this is a big, big ambitious production. We love where the scripts are. Our challenge on this series was to take a video game and to make it into a character drama that belongs on Showtime. I’m happy to say on paper we’ve accomplished that and now we’re looking forward to accomplishing that on the screen.”

'Halo' Series Will Be "PG-13, Almost R" for Violence, and Respect Established Canon [TCA 2019]

During his executive session at the Television Critics Association summer press tour, Showtime President of Entertainment Gary Levine announcedthat production on the network’s Halo TV series will begin in Budapest this fall, to air in early 2021. After the session, Levine stuck around to speak with reporters, so we were able to ask him even more Haloquestions.

Find out Showtime’s goal for the level of violence on Halo, whether we’ll ever see star Pablo Schrieber’s face while he’s playing Master Chief, and how the series will navigate the canon of the Halo world.

Parental Guidance Is Suggested
Most video game movies have to go with a PG-13 rating to reach the largest possible fanbase of gamers, many of whom are kids and teenagers. Showtime has no restrictions on content, although they do keep the intended audience for Halo in mind. But they’re not sanding off all of the edges: that audience includes fans of Showtime’s Homelandand Dexter, too.

“We want to be able to satisfy the gamers, but this is a human portrait, so violence is going to have consequence,” Levine said. “It will sort of belong in our PG-13 almost R universe of shows. I’m not sure what age you’re talking about, but again, hopefully we’ll satisfy the gamers and satisfy the Showtime drama watchers.”

Since Halo is set in space with soldiers facing off against alien creatures, they can probably get away with a tad more violence as long as it’s not human on human. Look how violent The Lord of the Rings films are at PG-13 because they’re fighting monsters.

You Don’t Hire Pablo Schrieber To Cover Him Up
Pablo Schrieber (The Wire, Orange is the New Black) will play Master Chief, and Levine showed a behind the scenes photo of Schrieber staring down Master Chief’s helmet. But Levine isn’t revealing whether he’ll ever take the helmet off in the show.

“Wait and see,” Levine said. “What I love about Pablo is he has the physicality to be a spartan, to be Master Chief, but he is A), a great dramatic actor and B), he’s got such a twinkle in his eye. He’s so good with wit and comedy. We want Master Chief to have that range and Pablo brings the range.”

How can we see the twinkle in his eye if he’s wearing his helmet? “Maybe it’s the twinkle in his mask, we’ll see,” Levine said.

All the Halo Canon Counts
Halo is not just video games: it’s novels, comic books, and animation, too. And in this TV show, Showtime is respecting all of it.

“Hopefully, you’re going to get new information in our series, but we’re not going to violate any of the things in the canon,” Levine said. “The good news is, we’ve been working very closely with 343 through the entire development process. They are there both as a resource to tell us stuff we don’t know, and also to make sure we’re not violating anything big in the canon. So we’re doing this with total confidence that the fans are going to embrace what we’re doing.”

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Slick]

That pic is awesome.

 

[Pennywise]

Abel Korzeniowski to Score Showtime’s ‘Halo’ Series | Film Music Reporter

 

[X Knight]

Showtime Announces 'Halo' Production Date, More Cast, Addresses Rupert Wyatt Departure [TCA 2019]



'Halo' Series Will Be "PG-13, Almost R" for Violence, and Respect Established Canon [TCA 2019]

2021?? aww man. was hoping it would come out next year.

 

[Elayis]

Abel Korzeniowski to Score Showtime’s ‘Halo’ Series | Film Music Reporter

I guess Korzeniowski and Showtime enjoyed working together on Penny Dreadful. I have to admit I never pictured him doing sci-fi, but this is the best bit of news to come out of the show. Along with the solid casting choices I'm actually starting to get excited about this show. The showrunners have a lot of work to do to make Halo interesting in a narrative format, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Lencho01]

‘Halo’ Series at Showtime Adds Three to Cast as Production Set to Begin

 

[Pennywise]

Halo TV Series Gives Reporters First Look at Pablo Schreiber in Master Chief Armor - IGN

Showtime's President of Entertainment, Gary Levine, revealed the behind-closed-doors image, and we're happy to report that Master Chief looks fantastic. Levine assured everyone that Schreiber was indeed the man behind the Chief's helmet in the costume rather than a stuntman (speculation that also plagued Pedro Pascal in The Mandalorian). The photo shows Chief seated alone on a ship. Everything from Schreiber's detailed costume to the inside of the vessel feels very authentic to the Halo video game franchise.

Damn it!

 

[Monsieur Xavier]

Odd, the characters look CGI enhanced.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Pennywise]

Pablo Schreiber on Working with Chris Evans in 'Defending Jacob', and Where 'Halo' Stands

How far did you get into shooting Halo before things shut down?

SCHREIBER: I actually don’t know that I’m supposed to talk about that, or allowed to talk about that. We’re well into shooting the first season, but we haven’t completed. But I don’t know that Showtime wants me to talk too much about the details. We’re well into shooting the first season, and it’s going very, very well. I love the people that I’m working with, and I’m very excited about showing it to the world.

That’s something that people have wanted to see as a movie, for a long time, but it seems that the best and most proper way to dig into that world is through a TV series because there’s so much material there.

SCHREIBER: I think it’s the only way to tell that story. I think a movie would never have left enough time to tell that tale. It’s built for television. Long form storytelling is the only way to tell these particular stories.

 

[Pennywise]

Supposedly, this website read the script for the pilot.
https://www.theilluminerdi.com/2020/07/24/halo-pilot-script/
Halo: The Biggest Changes From The Canon In The Pilot Script

Spoiler

It’s already been reported that Miranda Keyes will be going through a slight character realignment, as she’s no longer the military leader she was in the original games. Miranda was a crucial supporting character in Halo 2 and Halo 3, a major admiral who proved crucial to helping Master Chief prevent the plans of the Covenant to activate all the world-destroying Halos around the galaxy and wipe out all life as we know it.

While the script does position her to be an important character going forward in the TV series, she’ll be in a different role. Her military identity has been substituted for a more scientific persona, which reflects her mother Catherine Halsey – who maintains her role from the original series as a scientist crucial to the development of the Spartan program. Miranda is shown to be studying the Covenant and trying to discover their secrets, far more of a loner researcher than the dedicated captain she was previously.

While it’ll likely put her in more of the direct action than her previous role as “the expert” that Master Chief can turn to when things need exposition, it’s also a serious change to the character and her eventual role in the story – although it will likely make her crucial for any future events with the alien technology down the line.

The presence of more than just one Spartan within the pilot – and the sense that the galaxy is still engaged in the early days of the war with the Covenant – suggests that one of the biggest single events in the history of the series hasn’t happened yet: The Fall of Reach. In the original Halo canon, Reach was one of the major bases of the Earth military and the central base of operations for the Spartan-II Program.

But when the Covenant discovered the world and targeted it, it took every Spartan planetside to ensure that even just the crucial computer program Cortana was able to escape the world. Most Spartans were killed that day, save for some off-world at the time such as Master Chief. With the series seeming to play with the idea that the Spartans are still very present and potent in the galaxy, it’s unlikely that Master Chief has already been reduced to one of the last survivors – otherwise, it’s something the script would play up.

Perhaps the biggest deviation from the source material is the fact that – and seriously, spoilers here – Master Chief takes off his helmet. It’s in the climax of the first episode, and it’s less of a “dramatic shock moment” and more of a quick moment of character development – so at least it makes sense in context.

The emotional throughline of the series pilot is focused on Quan Ah, a young woman from a remote colony in distant space. The daughter of a rebel leader, Quan is the only survivor of a Covenant attack on her world. She’s rescued by Master Chief, who takes pity on her after preventing a Covenant elite – secretly the Arbiter from Halo 2, a major character going forward in the Human/Covenant war – from stealing a Forerunner artifact.

After learning that the girl may be executed on the orders of a superior officer, Master Chief suffers from something he can’t overcome – an emotional crisis. He ends up trying to convince the girl that he’s going to help her, and proves it by taking it off his helmet. It’s an effective moment for the character within the context of the show — but damn does it throws off one of the unspoken laws of one of gaming’s most famous series. It’s a HUGE deviation early on. If the show is willing to do that in the first episode, then what else is it willing to change?

If true, I don’t think a lot of fans are going to be very happy!

Then again, I’ll just wait for some pics or footage.

 

[Pennywise]

 

[Pennywise]

Halo TV Series Recasts Cortana With Original Voice Actress - IGN

IGN can exclusively reveal that Showtime's Halo TV series has recast its Cortana actress, bringing in Jen Taylor for the role. You'll know Taylor from her role as Cortana in all the mainline Halo games.

Cortana, the AI that assists (and occasionally turns on) Master Chief throughout the game series, was originally due to be played on TV by Natascha McElhone, who was cast in a dual role, also playing Cortana's creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey.

Due to scheduling difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, McElhone can no longer complete her work as Cortana - but will continue in the role of Halsey.

 

[Slick]

That’s cool.

 

[Silvermoth]

Yeah it’s a great idea I think. It’s going to be eerie hearing that voice again

 

[Iceman]

I hope this lives up to expectations and gives the franchise a boost in another medium.