Some fans can scarcely believe that the Halo TV series is finally premiering on Paramount Plus this coming Thursday, with the adaptation of the iconic video game franchise remaining mired in development hell for well over a decade before finally being dragged kicking and screaming into the light.
Throughout the lengthy process of adapting Master Chief and the rest of the gang for live-action, countless filmmakers and producers got involved at various points, only to give up and drop out. Even then, there were still plenty of worries that Halo would end up as a one-and-done effort, with Paramount’s streaming service hardly being lauded for zeitgeist-grabbing originals so far.
As it turns out, there was nothing to worry about, and Halo was officially renewed for a second season over a month before the first episode dropped. Reviews have been solid-if-unspectacular so far, but the consensus is that there’s plenty of room for improvement.
In an interview with Collider, star Pablo Schreiber confirmed the current timeline for heading back into production, and it sounds as though the show will once again be favoring practical exteriors over cavernous soundstages.
“We’ll be filming again this summer. We’re still figuring out exactly what the start date is, but we will be in production by summertime because we have a hard date that we need to be up and running in order to get some location that is weather affected.”
With an estimated budget of $90 million for the first season, Halo doesn’t come cheap, but if it capitalizes on the momentum that’s sure to be generated by the premiere, then Paramount could have a multi-year flagship on its hands.
