Halo season 2’s new showrunner is going to be bringing some changes to the franchise. The show is based on the hit video game series, which first came into prominence when the original was released in 2001. Since then, there have been over a dozen games and numerous adaptations, including the Halo TV show. Released by Paramount+, the show follows Master Chief (Pablo Schreiber) in his endless fight against the Covenant. Despite its success, the season 1 showrunner, Steven Kane, will be replaced by David Wiener for season 2.
While much of Halo‘s cast and characters will be returning, Wiener’s rise to prominence will change much about season 2’s development. In an interview with Collider, Schreiber and Kate Kennedy explain just how different the show will be during Wiener’s tenure as showrunner. They expect changing logistics, visuals, and action scenes. Check out their quotes below:
PABLO SCHREIBER: So much. I think, obviously, the biggest change is we have a new showrunner. David Wiener is our showrunner for Season 2, and that’s the biggest change because, essentially, we’re paid to live in worlds that other people create. So, this year we’re living in David Wiener’s world, and he’s an incredibly intelligent guy with a really well-thought-out vision, and it’s a story that I am happy to live in and a world that I’m happy to live in. I’m really excited to be telling his story of this version.
So, that was the biggest change from Season 1 to Season 2, but in terms of logistics and all that kind of stuff, yeah, it’s a massive, massive show. You don’t really appreciate it until you’re in the middle of it. I think that was also one of the growing pains is that it’s David’s first time doing a show of this magnitude, so he came in with all his preconceived notions of what it would be like to work on a show this big, but then his mind was blown by how big it was. So he’s going through his own learning process while we already went through one the first season. So, we’re meeting somewhere in the middle. It is a massive show that you have to take your lessons as they come. A lot of those were above our pay grade as actors. They’re producer questions, and that’s another factor is that you can only do so much as an actor. You can bring to life the world that you’re given to bring to life. So, you can offer your ideas or opinions, and it’s up to other people to implement those.
Yeah, that’s one of the things that I’m the most happy with in seeing the results this year is, it just feels vastly more authentic. The tone is the biggest improvement that I’ve seen from the footage that we shot. “Darker” is a description of the tonal palette more than, I’ll say, the drama. It’s more the visuals. It is dark in other ways, as well, but it’s mostly the visual palette. It’s one of the things when you’re working with costumes that are plastic and not real, you have to hide that a little bit, and one of the best ways to hide that is if the visual palette is darker. If there’s more between the camera and the thing that you’re shooting, if the camera is more alive and in the action rather than being back here and seeing everything, then everything feels more authentic and more real, and you feel like you’re in the action, and the action is more subjective. So that tonal shift, for me, is the biggest thing that I’m the most happy with. And that’s a function of the person who’s telling the story, creating the world that we’re living in. That’s when I say I’m happy to live in his world. It’s one of the shifts that I was the most happy with.
KATE KENNEDY: There’s a huge difference in the action sequences this season. I think they look so impressive and very visceral because you’re following them in a different way. But then we also straddle the personal stories of the effects of war, as well, in a stronger way this Season 2. So it’s a good dichotomy of both.
Halo Season 2 Needed To Be Different
David Wiener’s Run As Halo’s Showrunner Changes Everything
While Halo season 1 drew praise for its impressive depiction of Master Chief’s suit, it also had countless problems that need to be addressed in season 2. One major complaint related directly to the suit in that Master Chief constantly and needlessly removes his helmet. One of the elements that sets Master Chief apart from other video game adaptation heroes is his reliance on his armor. He never takes off the helmet, leaving him appearing to be an unliving creature dedicated to the fight.
Halo Season 2 Needs This Video Game Character To Help Fix Paramount’s Problems
The Halo TV show needs to make many improvements in season 2, and adding one character from the games could help fix Paramount’s adaptation.
That will likely change for season 2. The Halo season 1 ending leaves Master Chief a darker, more reflective character. He was betrayed by his lover and failed to prevent the Covenant from collecting the Keystones. The long-term effects could bring his characterization in line with the games and could be a much-needed reason for Master Chief to retreat into wearing his helmet more often and without complaint.
Another complaint, which Halo season 2 will address with Wiener’s promotion, is that the action scenes are painfully forgettable. While the original video game features countless fight scenes that completely change the franchise, the show focuses much more on subplots and the day-to-day experiences of its characters. Wiener will have the opportunity to bring some excitement to the action scenes. If Wiener can develop more compelling fights alone, Halo will be a much-improved show.
