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343 Industries Head On Bringing Master Chief To Life In New Halo TV Series, "We Want To Do Something New"
With Halo Infinite on the horizon for later this year and Showtime's Halo TV series inching towards a release, there is a lot of reasons to be excited for the man in green. That being said, the upcoming Halo TV show aims to deliver a new experience that still feels familiar to die-hard fans, something that 343 Industries' head Kiki Wolfkill says is a bigger struggle than many might think.
In the video at the top of the article, Wolfkill sat down with the folks over at IGN to dig a little deeper into the upcoming show and the challenges that come with bringing Master Chief to life. This is a problem a lot of adaptations face, but especially so for game franchises known for action. Wolfkill opened up about that delicate knife-edge; figuring out what it takes to bring Halo to life again in a live-action format while asking those used to playing as Chief to sit this one out and just enjoy the ride.
With full-on Warthog badassery and an enemy that we know too well, the Showtime series aims to properly adapt the franchise with a creative twist. That being said, the goal to create something surrounding Master Chief that feels "new" is challenging, especially when looking at the story depth and the challenges that come with believably bringing the Covenant to life.
According to Wolfkill, the goal is to share a different side to Master Chief than we are used to seeing, something unlike the games while still remaining true to who his character is. The 343 Industries head also talked a little more about her love for this franchise, especially given her own work on the Halo franchise and her love of the series as a gamer, not just a studio member.
Regarding the Halo adaptation itself, the series is currently filming once more in Budapest, Hungary following COVID-related delays. The ten-episode series is executive produced by showrunner Kyle Killen (Lone Star) and directed and produced by Rupert Wyatt (Rise of the Planet of the Apes). Steven Spielberg, Showtime, and Amblin Television assisted 343 Industries in putting together the creative team, alongside 343's own Wolfkill.
Jen Taylor will be playing Cortana alongside Orange Is the New Black's Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief himself and Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Halsey.
According to the creative team, the Halo TV series will follow the general paths of the franchise we know and love with a familiar focus on the 26th-century conflict between the Covenant and humanity. According to the showrunner, it will "weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure, and a richly imagined vision of the future."
We also know that the show, according to Wolflkill, will be "an epic new story experience set in the Halo Universe." Wolfkill also previously mentioned that the team is working hard to ensure that they balance "moments fans have already experienced and moments that have yet to be experienced" in order to create something respectful of the franchise, "but also new and surprising and enthralling."
With Halo Infinite teasing the end of Master Chief's story, it will be interesting to see how this new show will adapt one of the most iconic protagonists in the shooter genre.
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