Halo’s smooth transition from video game to television is a pretty tough mission, however, doing so requires making some bold choices and among those is the revelation that officer John-117 will be revealing a little more face than gamers might be familiar with.
Ever since Halo made its way to living rooms in 2001, both Bungie and 343 Industries’ games have refrained from showing the Spartan’s mug, instead merely teasing what the back of Master Chief’s head or even his eyes look like, with the latter being a hidden unlockable moment in Halo 4. Nevertheless, according to one of the show’s producers, this change will result in a better Halo story for all the right reasons.
During an interview for IGN’s FanFest event, Halo producer Kiki Wolfkill addressed that showing the Chief’s face is actually a vital part of the story because when aiming “to tell a character story and a personal story, [...] it became clear that you really needed to see the person in the armor and under the helmet.”. The producer, who is a self-confessed gamer, admitted that she’s aware that this is a moment that’s been 20 years in the making for the franchise but she argues it’s an essential step in order for audiences to connect with the character on a higher level.
Master Chief will be played by actor Pablo Schreiber in the Paramount series, who at towering 6’5 comes surprisingly close to the character’s NBA-worthy height, and has already been shown looking the part in his full suit of armor. Wolfkill did concede she can imagine some fans will have a hard time picturing Master Chief’s face, though others might be more open to this take, as long as it works within the boundaries of the franchise.
The Halo series has some rather different looking characters when compared to their video game iterations, with Cortana especially drawing the ire of some fans to her drastically reworked design, although at lest she’ll ve voiced by Jen Taylor who’s reprising her famous role. Suffice to say, Paramount is betting big on the series, as Halo has already been penned for another season ahead of its premiere next month.
Over at Microsoft gaming camp, the company might hope the series could help drive momentum for Halo Infinite, as the game has been experiencing dwindling gameplay numbers since its release. While the release of Halo Infinite’s upcoming Forge Mode could also help, a successful TV show does wonders for games, just ask The Witcher.
Halo the TV series is set to premiere on Paramount Plus on March 24, 2022.
Source: IGN
