Microsoft’s long-in-development Halo TV series – which found a home on cable network Showtime last year – has finally cast its Master Chief, with American Gods actor Pablo Schrieber set to don the majestic green helmet.
Schrieber, who currently portrays leprechaun Mad Sweeney in Amazon’s television adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s American Gods (and who starred as prison guard George “Pornstache” Mendez in Netflix’s Orange Is the New Black), will be joined by Australian newcomer Yerin Ha in the role of Quan Ah, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Quan Ah, a new character in Halo universe, is described as a “shrewd, audacious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies who meets Master Chief at a fateful time for them both.”
Last August, Showtime’s network president of programming, Gary Levine, confirmed that Master Chief would indeed be “a lead character” in the TV series, despite his faceless presence in the Halo games, noting that the character’s aversion to showing his face would be “a key question and an important part of our series.” Levine also noted that other protagonists would feature too, presumably to ensure the show remains relatable to broader audiences.
It?s time to suit up!@schreiber_pablo has been enlisted as Master Chief. He?ll play the iconic Spartan super soldier and humanity?s last hope against the alien Covenant in our upcoming series, #Halo. #Showtime pic.twitter.com/RP9W5bRV4q
— SHOWTIME (@Showtime) April 17, 2019
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Microsoft originally announced its Halo TV series (in a video presented by then-executive-producer Steven Spielberg) back in 2013. Six years of development hell followed, and then, last June, Showtime surprised all by announcing it had picked up the series for a 10-episode run.
Despite almost a year having passed since then, details are still thin on the ground. However, Showtime previously described its Halo series as “an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant”, which would “weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future”.
Kyle Killen, who created the short-lived fantasy police procedural Awake, will serve as Halo’s showrunner, writer, and executive producer, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt set to helm a number of episodes. The series is scheduled to enter production in Budapest, Hungary, this autumn.
Source: https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2019-04-17-showtimes-halo-tv-series-has-cast-its-master-chief
