Halo season 2’s Master Chief actor teases a new and improved vision for the return of the video game adaptation show. The first season of the Paramount+ show garnered mixed reviews and was criticized for changing key tenets of the game’s universe, most notably in the amount of time protagonist Master Chief spent without his helmet (in the game series, Master Chief only removes his helmet as part of a secret ending in Halo 4). Still, the show was praised for the way in which it brought the iconic video game’s signature combat to life, making the war between the humans and the alien Covenant feel as visceral as ever.
Screen Rant interviewed Pablo Schreiber, the actor behind Master Chief, and when the actor wasn’t teasing that Halo season 2 will visit the Halo ring, he spoke highly of the vision of new showrunner David Wiener. Schreiber praised the tonal shift Wiener shepherded for the show’s second season, promising its effectiveness. Take a look at Schreiber’s words below:
Pablo Schreiber: Things that have definitely improved from season 1 to season 2? We have a great new showrunner, David Wiener, who’s creating a world. The vision of the Halo Universe will be his for the second season, and we’re trying to do our best job of bringing his vision to reality. I think the biggest switch from one to two or improvement from one to two is a tonal shift.
It’s darker, it’s more mysterious. The way that we handle the action sequences is different. They feel a lot more subjective. You’re kind of put into the battle with the characters instead of seeing it from a distance. I think it’s a far more effective way to treat the battle sequences. And in general, that tonal shift is the biggest change that just makes it feel a little bit deeper, a little bit more mysterious, and a little bit more interesting. You’re struggling harder to figure out what everybody’s ulterior motives are, and when you’re dealing with a universe like this where there’s political intrigue and people are making power moves, and you have subtle character shifts within that, that approach is just more effective for this universe.
Can Halo Season 2 Balance Fan Service & Originality?
Halo has already settled into a unique identity separate from its source material, but it has an opportunity to toe the line between pleasing diehard fans and crafting its own take on the universe. One way it can do this is through its adaptation of key game battles. With Schreiber teasing fights in which viewers are “put into the battle with the characters instead of seeing it from a distance”, and Halo season 2 set to adapt the Fall of Reach, audiences may be in for a stunning recreation of one of the franchise’s biggest moments.
On the other hand, Master Chief’s helmet changes will continue in Halo season 2, promising that the series will continue to forge its own path. While it’s a change from the first-person action of the game series, the show’s focus on the machinations of its human characters suits it to explore the tensions and motives behind the major players in the story. Schreiber mentions political intrigue and motivations, which can be detailed in the show in a way that isn’t necessarily suited to a Halo game.
The test the show continues to face is whether or not it can, or needs to, win over the segment of the Halo audience that sees a new interpretation as tarnishing the franchise’s legacy. As reactions like Screen Rant’s Halo season 2 review can attest, however, the show is only improving as it settles into its specific interpretation of the universe Bungie created. Considering the excitement behind Schreiber’s words and the season’s positive reviews, it’s a good time to revisit the world of live-action Halo.
Halo
A live-action adaptation of the video game franchise of the same name, Halo follows Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (Pablo Schrieber) as he fights his part in a war between humanity’s United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the Covenant, an alliance of multiple hostile races of aliens intent on destroying the human race. The Master Chief is supported by Cortana (Jen Taylor) – an AI construct based on the personality of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who created the Spartan supersoldier program – implanted in his brain.
- Release Date
- March 24, 2022
- Cast
- Jen Taylor , Bokeem Woodbine , Charlie Murphy , Shabana Azmi , Kate Kennedy , Natascha McElhone , Yerin Ha , Bentley Kalu , Pablo Schreiber , Danny Sapani , Olive Gray , Natasha Culzac
- Seasons
- 2
- Creator(s)
- Kyle Killen , Steven Kane
- Writers
- Kyle Killen , Silka Luisa , Richard Robbins , Steven Kane , Justine Juel Gillmer
- Franchise(s)
- Halo
- Directors
- Otto Bathurst , Jonathan Liebesman , Roel Reiné , Dennie Gordon , Debs Paterson , Craig Zisk , Jessica Lowrey
- Showrunner
- Kyle Killen
- Where To Watch
- Paramount+
