To see these beloved characters in live action has been a dream for fans of the Halo franchise for quite some time, a dream that will soon be made a reality by Paramount+ releasing an officially licensed show simply titled Halo. With Paramount+ releasing the first full trailer for Halo during the 2021 Game Awards at the end of last month, fans got their first look at what they could expect, which has been met with varying degrees of excitement.
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Master Chief
Being the unequivocal main protagonist for a large majority of the Halo franchise, it is no wonder that the Master Chief features so prominently in the newly released trailer. Thankfully, fans can not have many complaints, if any at all, at how John-117 looks in live action from what is seen in the trailer. His iconic Mjolnir armor looks just as jaw-dropping and stoic as it does in the games, with the Chief still retaining his trademark imposing figure when shown next to regular-sized Marines for scale. Perhaps the only somewhat controversial aspect of Chief’s character, as showcased in the trailer, is that he is no longer voiced by the legendary Steve Downes.
While it is a shame that the Chief won’t be accompanied by his equally-famous voice, fans will have to consider that Downes is now 71 years old. The Chief is instead voiced by Pablo Schreiber, with it making a lot more sense for him to both voice and physically play the character. Considering that Halo is clearly going for a more humanized version of the Master Chief, as seen in scenes of the trailer showing Spartans without their armor and as children in flashbacks, it makes sense that a new voice for the Chief is necessary.
Dr. Halsey
Another reoccurring character from the games is present within the trailer in the form of Dr. Catherine Halsey. The mastermind of the ethically controversial SPARTAN programs that birthed the likes of Master Chief as well as many other super-soldiers, Dr. Halsey is played in live-action by Natascha McElhone.
Other than sporting slightly blonder hair than her gray-haired gaming counterpart, Halsey looks to be a very faithful adaptation, even down to her calculated and logic-above-emotion demeanor. It appears she still has both arms from what we see in the trailer, but whether she will remain in one piece by the end of the show remains to be seen.
Cortana
Undoubtedly the most controversial adaptation displayed in the new trailer is the reveal of Chief’s AI counterpart, Cortana. Practically existing inside the mind of Master Chief and guiding him through most of his adventures in the game series, Cortana is arguably the second most recognizable character within the Halo IP.
It is perhaps because of this level of expectation that fans have reacted so negatively to Cortana’s portrayal in the Halo series. The Cortana seen in the trailer is a lot more overtly human-looking, with her iconic fully blue color being replaced with uniquely colored human skin, black hair and colored clothes. Also sporting a slightly different hairstyle and facial features, it is relatively understandable why fans were so shocked with the change, considering how faithfully the aforementioned characters have been recreated.
Fans can take solace, however, in the fact that Cortana is voiced by the Jen Taylor, the same voice actress from the game series. This familiar voice will somewhat balance the unfamiliarity of Cortana’s physical presence, as Cortana being computer-generated on-screen eliminates what necessitated a different actor for the live-action Master Chief. Ultimately, with the show being its own interpretation of the Halo universe, fans who approach it with an open-mind still have a lot to look forward to.
Halo will debut on Paramount+ on March 24, 2022.
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