Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: Halo

  • Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Season 2 Kicks-Off Production With First Set Photo

    Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Season 2 Kicks-Off Production With First Set Photo

    It’s crazy to think that we had a live-action Halo series release on Paramount+ not too long ago. The idea of an adaptation focused on that franchise already seemed like a heavy burden for anyone willing to take the risk but the series still managed to pull in a second season renewal from the streaming service.

    While the news is scarce on what exactly they have planned for the second season of Halo, it seems that production has finally started. Not only that, the official Twitter account even shared a first look at the set to celebrate the production start, which is currently taking place in Iceland.

    We’ll see how the series continues the iconic franchise and how they’ll further explore this unique take on Master Chief. While familiar elements exist in this franchise, it’s mostly using the platform to tell its own stories that pay tribute to what came before. Translating a gaming franchise to live-action has been a challenge for many throughout the years, which is why it’s exciting to see the project get a chance at a second season.

    Halo has also seen a resurgence in gaming with Halo: Infinity by 343 Industries. So, it’s also the perfect time to keep the momentum going as they further explore this universe through different perspectives. We’ll see if elements from the series even get added into the game’s multiplayer to play around with this new world that’s been established and the many characters that exist in it.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘Halo’ is Paramount+’s Most-Watched Series Within 24 Hours

    ‘Halo’ is Paramount+’s Most-Watched Series Within 24 Hours

    While it seemed that Halo opened to surprisingly little fanfare, the series was still quite the hit on Paramount+. Pablo Schreiber takes on the role of Master chief in this new live-action adaptation based on the popular Xbox gaming franchise. We believed that it was a decent opening to a new series–you can check out our review by clicking here–it looks like Paramount has been quite satisfied with the release. Chief Programming Officer for the streaming service, Tanya Giles, shared the following statement on its success:

    Bringing ‘Halo’ to life as a streaming series has been one of the most rewarding efforts for Paramount+ to date and we could not be more thrilled at the massive fan responses to the series’ debut. Along with our phenomenal partners at Showtime, 343 Industries, and Amblin Television, we cannot wait for fans to experience more of this incredible universe.

    Tanya Giles

    As per usual in the streaming world, we don’t have any exact numbers but it was highlighted that it was a clear winner. Considering the project started initially back in 2013 and has been in production for quite some time, these numbers are definitely a sigh of relief for Paramount+. They already renewed it for a second season with a new showrunner. So, it seems that the early renewal was definitely the right move and we’ll see if it can keep up that viewership over the next few weeks as it rolls out the rest of the episodes.

    Source: Collider

  • REVIEW: Parmaount+’s ‘Halo’ Pilot is a Decent Jump Pad for the Series

    REVIEW: Parmaount+’s ‘Halo’ Pilot is a Decent Jump Pad for the Series

    After one of the most infamously long production cycles for a TV series, the live-action adaptation of Halo has finally arrived. Pablo Schreiber takes on the daunting task of bringing Master Chief to life in the Paramount+ series. Video game adaptations have always had an uphill battle, and with an IP as famous as Microsoft’s Halo series, it seems like a daunting undertaking. With hints that the iconic Spartan will also reveal his face for the first time, breaking a long-time tradition of the games, the project had quite a few eyes on it how it may bring the classic sci-fi series to life.

    One thing the series makes clear early on is that this isn’t a 1:1 adaptation of the original game series. Instead of going down The Mandalorian route of focusing on our masked main character, a lot of this episode’s story is told through Yerin Ha‘s Quan Ah. Not only does it ease us into the story while spending time with a human resistance faction trying to get by, but it also sets up a very different look at the Spartans. We spend the games through the eyes of Master Chief as he heroically takes on the Covenant. The UNSC is shown as a darkly flawed system with people in it willing to make sacrifices for others for the sake of their own goals. As such, the Spartans have also been twisted into something very different ahead of their initial introduction.

    It sets up an important dynamic between Ah and Schreiber‘s Master Chief later. We see a desperate organization trying to paint themselves in a positive light during the war, but making rather dark decisions. We get glimpses of some bigger storylines, especially one pertaining to Cortana and Chief’s relationship with Natasha McElhone‘s Dr. Catherine Halsey. Especially with the character’s actions later in the film, they are setting up a mysterious connection between the two and further exploring his humanity.

    The big opening action shot shortly after meeting Ah gives us a feeling of the series fight choreography and how it brings these super soldiers in the form of Spartans to life. It has some great moments, but some aspects of the action were quite rough. The Covenant look impressive and are translated pretty closely from their gaming counterparts. Yet, there are long stretches where the CG work looks rough and out-of-place. Some of the aliens just stand out in the wrong way and Master Chief jumping around at times seems too weightless. They were pushing the most they could out of the budget they have, but the CG work really could’ve used a bit more tweaking. Still, the action is easy to follow and we get some nice moments from the Spartan team.

    We even get a brief first-person callback to the game which was a bit gimmicky but was used as a way to show us how the Spartans see the world. So, it worked in more ways than just a neat Easter egg, especially with the payoff later on. The sound effects were a joy to hear, as we get everything from the way the Covenant’s weapons sound to Chief’s armor replenishing. While the team said they didn’t look to the games for reference, they did add in enough trinkets to keep those fans happy. The best part, the fan service doesn’t overshadow the actual story.

    The biggest selling point is Schreiber‘s Master Chief, as he does give us some softer moments with the character. He does show a lot of emotion through his helmet and after interacting with a strange artifact, we get to see him slowly break away from his bio-engineered programming. They are setting up an arc and the episode does end in quite a bold move that highlights this series’ new direction based around the original franchise’s lore.

    The episode length does drag at times due to the number of characters it’s trying to introduce and set up for later storylines. Some of the CG work could use some additional tweaking but it’s still great to see these designs in a live-action setting. Schreiber is the standout in the series’ pilot episode and I am excited to see where he takes the character moving forward. It’s a decent start and it’ll be interesting to see how they build up this new take on a classic franchise.

  • ‘Halo’ Actor Pablo Schreiber Has Had Talks With Marvel, Including For Wolverine

    ‘Halo’ Actor Pablo Schreiber Has Had Talks With Marvel, Including For Wolverine

    In the age of competing intellectual properties and streaming services, the Microsoft video gaming brand Xbox is gearing up to bring one of its most iconic properties to live-action with Halo on Paramount+. American Gods actor Pablo Schreiber is set to star as Master Chief in the series. Like any leading role in an action project, Schreiber has been fancast in plenty of Marvel roles.

    Perhaps some good news for fans of the actor, apparently a Marvel role for Schreiber is not too far-fetched to dream about. During an interview with the Bingeworthy podcast, the Halo actor has has “a bunch of discussions” with Marvel over the years:

    Yeah. You know I’ve seen things pop up a lot. I’ve had a bunch of discussions with Marvel at different points in my career. We’ve never been able to find the right thing at the right time, but I’d certainly be open to that. But yeah it’s just staying open to the right path and I don’t know exactly what that is, but I’ll know it when I see it.

    Pablo Schreiber

    Schreiber, who is Canadian, even expressed interest in playing the MCU’s Wolverine. Notably, the actor mentions that he and Marvel “flirted” with the idea of that casting:

    Oh goodness yeah, well we flirted with that one for a while. That’d be fantastic, that would certainly be a dream casting. He’s actually my favorite hero, from a child he was always my favorite comic book. So I’ve had a long flirtation with that guy, so you know obviously that’d be a dream

    Pablo Schreiber

    Whether Schreiber is speaking about talks with Marvel for Wolverine purely in the past tense or not is not entirely clear, but it definitely notable that he speaks so highly of the potential role and implies he and Marvel have had somewhat of an ongoing relationship with Marvel throughout his career.

    While Wolverine is still very much viewed as Hugh Jackman’s character, X-Men characters are expected to make their way into the MCU now that Disney owns the film rights to the characters. Who exactly will take on the iconic role is unknown at this time, but Marvel clearly has been working on casting for some time. Schreiber will make his debut as Master Chief in Halo on March 24 on Paramount+.

    Source: Bingeworthy via The Direct

  • ‘Halo’ Showrunner Didn’t Use the Game as Reference

    ‘Halo’ Showrunner Didn’t Use the Game as Reference

    It’s crazy to think that we’re this close to the release of a Halo series. the project seemingly was in development hell for quite some time with stories of countless scripts holding it back. Yet, it’s finally on the horizon and the creative team is sharing their thoughts on the journey that may have seemed endless at some time.

    It’s uncertain how they may have approached the project, but it looks like they didn’t look at the games for reference. Showrunner Steve Kane, known for his work on The Last Ship, has shared that while they did consult the developers behind the game, they wanted to not shackle themselves to the game’s

    We didn’t look at the game. We didn’t talk about the game. We talked about the characters and the world. So I never felt limited by it being a game.

    Steve Kane

    Pablo Schreiber, who takes on the challenging role of bringing Master Chief to live-action, added the following regarding the universe they are about to enter in the adaptation.

    The richness and the depth of the universe was immediately kind of mind-boggling. And incredibly exciting, because what it means as a storyteller is that there’s already been a huge amount of preparation and groundwork

    Pablo Schreiber

    We still know very little about the series’ overall direction and how closely it might follow the storyline of the original games. It wouldn’t be too surprising for them to take a different route to keep old fans just on their toes like newer ones, but with a season 2 renewal already in place, Paramount+ is all-in with this new franchise. So, we’ll see if it hits the chords fans are hoping to see.

    Source: Variety

  • Master Chief Will Take his Helmet Off in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’

    Master Chief Will Take his Helmet Off in Paramount+’s ‘Halo’

    This news might not be to the liking of long-time Halo fans, as the upcoming Paramount+ series will make one major change to the character of Master Chief. For a long time, the Spartan infamously never took off his helmet. Yet, it seems that the creators behind the series plan to break that tradition, as revealed by executive producer and 343’s Studio Head of Transmedia, Kiki Wolfkill during IGN’s Fan Fest.

    I think we set out to tell a character story and a personal story. And once we really got into what that story was, it became clear that you really needed to see the person in the armour and under the helmet.

    Kiki Wolfkill

    There have been many mysteries on what he might look like. Yet, the expectation after being a mystery for a long time might also lead to some concerns by fans of the franchise. It makes sense they want to remove the helmet, as even our favorite superheroes have the habit of taking off their masks repeatedly throughout their projects. She goes on to highlight that:

    For some people, it’s been a moment 20 years in the making, and for other people it is something that feels very hard to imagine. We absolutely respect both sides of that fence, those who really want to see Chief’s face and those who really don’t. But for the nature of this story, it felt really important to connect with the Master Chief in a different way, and that meant showing the face.

    Kiki Wolfkill

    In a way, the official poster kind of hinted at this very revealing. He’s seen holding the helmet in his hand, but we might’ve not expected that they’d reveal his face. We already know Pablo Schreiber is playing the character but if they are making a big deal out of it, who knows if he might have some prosthetics to make him look different. With the developers behind the latest Halo game involved with the project, this confirms they also signed off on this decision. We’ll have to see how they tackle this.

    Source: IGN

  • Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Nabs Early Season 2 Renewal

    Paramount+’s ‘Halo’ Nabs Early Season 2 Renewal

    Even after a troubled production timeline that took years to bring this series to life, Paramount+ has given its upcoming Halo adaptation an early Season 2 renewal. The series is currently on course to release on March 24th. While received with some skepticism, there’s a lot of anticipation for this project that brings the Xbox video game classic to life for the streaming service. Brave New World‘s David Wiener is also confirmed to join as executive producer and showrunner, which was hinted at a few weeks ago.

    It’s a surprise that the series got an early renewal given its long and troubled production schedule. The series must’ve been expensive to produce but there’s a lot of belief that it’ll become a tentpole franchise for the streaming service. It makes sense given how popular Halo is as a gaming franchise, and it got some additional momentum after the recent release of Halo Infinite.

    They might also want to make use of everything that was prepared for the first season, especially with Wiener already being considered before an official announcement dropped. So, perhaps talks internally were already underway and it may have depended if the new showrunner would sign on the project. At the rate Paramount is going, who knows if a spinoff series is only a few months away from being announced.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Halo’ Has a New Showrunner In Case of a Season 2 Renewal by Paramount+

    ‘Halo’ Has a New Showrunner In Case of a Season 2 Renewal by Paramount+

    Halo‘s release hasn’t been an easy one. After being in development hell for eight years, it is finally releasing on Paramount+ this March. It originally was produced as a Showtime series, but the streaming service from ViacomCBS became its new home. Currently, there has not been a renewal for the second season, but it seems that they may have a new showrunner who is ready to take over, the third one so far.

    Executive producer Justin Falvey shared that David Wiener, known for his work on Fear the Walking Dead and Brave New World, would take over from Steven Kane, who was responsible for the production of the first season. Yet, he wasn’t the only one as Kane was responsible for the production in Budapest, while Killen worked on it in the United States. As of now, both have left the project, but Kane is open to still staying on as a consultant.

    Kane shared during the Television that he worked on the Budapest production for two years, and being away from his family for so long as the reason he stepped down from the project. The series has had a troubled production for so long, as it also went through two directors with Rupert Wyatt forced to drop the project due to scheduling conflicts. So, only Otto Bathurst remained on to finish it. We’ll probably have to wait until the viewership numbers are in for Paramount before they decide to continue with the project.

    Source: Hollywood Reporter

  • First Paramount+ ‘Halo’ Trailer Offers First Look at Cortana and Arbiter

    First Paramount+ ‘Halo’ Trailer Offers First Look at Cortana and Arbiter

    Finally, the first full trailer has dropped for the upcoming live-action adaptation of Halo, which is heading to Paramount+ in March. We finally got a full look at what this new series has to offer, as it hopefully breaks the live-action curse of video game adaptations. Luckily, the new trailer not only gave us Master Chief’s voice but also the first look at the series’ take on Cortana, who will be voiced by Jen Taylor.

    That is not all, as we also got a good look at an Arbiter with a close-up of their live-action take of the Arbiters, who are part of the Sangheili alien race. Humans have given them the name Elites, who stem from the planet of Sanghelios.

    Image

    The designs are quite impressive and they seemingly brought a fresh take on the iconic gaming franchise. Of course, we still need to see if the series can keep up the quality in how it tells its story, but it does seem like they’ll use the time to humanize Master Chief and even offer some interactions with other Spartans, which lets us explore his origin.

    Pablo Schreiber‘s take on the iconic supersoldier does seem promising and we’re excited to see if the series can break the live-action adaptations curse and manage a promising story, especially after it was stuck in development hell for quite some time. You can check out the full trailer right here:

    Source: YouTube

  • Live-Action ‘Halo’ Series Will Premiere March 24 on Paramount+

    Live-Action ‘Halo’ Series Will Premiere March 24 on Paramount+

    A live-action Halo adaptation has been one of those projects in development hell for years; it had Steven Spielberg and Rupert Wyatt attached at one point; it went from Showtime to Paramount+; the showrunners working on it split up. So it came as a surprise several months ago when they finally unveiled the first poster, confirming that the show was, finally, tangible.

    Today is a big day for fans as the trailer for the series will be unveiled during the AFC halftime show. And as a precursor to tonight’s festivities, the released date for the series was unveiled: March 24th.

    To see the show premiere so soon almost feels surreal. But March 24 is merely a few weeks away, given how February starts in a few nights’ sleep. Within a span of a few days, we’ll be able to see Halo and Moon Knight. To also see the handful of footage in that preview looks so beautiful is exciting. It looks well shot, it’s got a solid cast, and the scope looks impressive.