Live-Action Halo Series Moves From Showtime to Paramount+

The planned live-action series adaptation of Halo is no longer coming to Showtime, instead shifting gears to Paramount+. It was announced during the TCA Winter Press Tour today (per Deadline that the series, based on the iconic first-person shooter, will now release on the rebranded streaming service.

Halo has been in the works for some time, being initially greenlit by Showtime back in June of 2018. The series will star Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as Master Chief, Natasha McElhone as both Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana, Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Bentley Kalu as Spartan Vannak-134, Natasha Culzac as Spartan Riz-028, and Kate Kennedy as Spartan Kai-125. It is directed by Otto Bathurst (Peaky Blinders, Black Mirror) and described as follows:

Halo will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001, dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant. Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure, and a richly imagined vision of the future.

“It delivers the visceral excitement of playing the game, along with a much deeper emotional experience around the Spartans, human beings who got their humanity chemically and genetically altered,” David Nevins, Chief Creative Officer, CBS & Chairman and CEO, Showtime Networks, said in a statement. “The story is about reclaiming what makes them human, and therefore it’s a very powerful story. We were on the hunt for signature shows beyond the Star Trek franchise on CBS All Access and were thinking, what could be a defining series for Paramount+. Halo always fit the bill but seeing it, we felt it would work.”

Paramount+ launches on March 4th and is a relaunch for the service that was previously known as CBS All-Access.