Through over two decades of Halo video games, Master Chief has been the iconic hero of the series. And that remains true in the upcoming live-action Halo series on Paramount+. Pablo Schreiber will headline the show as Master Chief Petty Officer John-117, and for the first time, fans will be able to see his face. But before that happens, viewers will discover John-117’s hidden heart.
In a new preview scene from Halo, Master Chief’s features remain hidden when he encounters Kwan Ha Boo (Yerin Ha), a revolutionary teenage girl who has fallen into his custody. Whether Kwan is John-117’s prisoner or his “guest” is unclear, but it does seem obvious that Master Chief is feeling under the weather. That’s highly unusual, since John-117 is one of the Spartan super soldiers. He’s more than human — and in some ways, less.
Natascha McElhone co-stars in the series as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey, the creator of the Spartan-II Project and the model for the Cortana A.I. system. Previous trailers for the show have indicated that not even Halsey’s superiors trust her, and there’s more to the Spartan program than she is letting on. Fargo standout Bokeem Woodbine also stars as Soren-066, a Spartan who rebelled against his programming a long time ago.
Charlie Murphy is co-starring as Makee, a collaborator of the alien Covenant who stands against the rest of humanity. Danny Sapani also stars as Captain Jacob Keyes, with Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes, Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky, Kate Kennedy as Kai-125, Natasha Culzac as Riz-028, Bentley Kalu as Vannak-134, and Jen Taylor as the voice of Cortana.
Kyle Killen and Steven Kane developed Halo for television. The series premiere will arrive on Paramount+ this Thursday, March 24.
