Next year sees the release of the Paramount+ digital series, Halo - featuring a live-action version of Master Chief.
It's raised some concerns about how this show might impact the games and books, and how it might fit into the entire series as it exists today. Halo's Transmedia boss Kiki Wolfkill explained this during the final Halo community live stream of 2021.
It's been codenamed "Halo silver" and it's not "core-canon" — meaning it exists in its own timeline and won't impact other Halo media, like the games or books. This has been done to "protect" the series, and also allow the digital streaming series to breath a little.
"Halo's live-action series is part of a timeline called 'Halo silver' and while it draws from canon material, it's not part of the 'core-canon' experience.
It's no secret that not all of the elements are strictly core-canon...our goal was really to deliver on that magic of seeing Halo in live-action...and being true to sort of the core beliefs of what Halo is... but at the same time we had a different story to tell and we're in a different medium.
It wasn't a goal to just take the game and tell the story of the game and have someone watch it instead of play it...we really wanted to create a differentiated story experience...so you have game experience, you have your book experience and then you have the television series.
We're character-driven, we're drama and we bring an ensemble perspective...it does require looking at some of the story differently...we are deeply rooted in canon but we do have some context and perspective that is different from some of the stories that we've experienced or read about in the games.
We're referring to this as the Halo silver timeline - as a way of differentiating it from core-canon, and both protecting core-canon and protecting the television story... and by that I mean giving ourselves the chance to evolve both for their mediums, without colliding with each other."
So, if you were concerned at all about how this might alter the Halo universe moving forward — it likely won't, because again, it's completely separate from the books and the games, but at the same draws on all the familiar lore fans know and love.
How do you feel hearing this? Relieved? Will you be watching on release when it begins streaming in 2022? Leave a comment down below.
Comments 11
I’m still excited for this. But am I the only one that actually just WANTED the first game as a movie? Honestly I just wanted to relive the original game in a cinematic experience. That would’ve been cool. I get it though. Gotta do something new. And it looks great.
I think this is a good choice. As much as I enjoy Halo lore it is pretty complicated and would be difficult to bring in newer viewers that never played the games. It also helps interest myself as now I have no clue what's going to happen whereas if it just followed one of the game stories I'd already know the story.
I'm actually more excited for this approach than what The Last of Us has going on on HBO.
I feel like the only games enthusiast that not only has no excitement for this newfound rash of "video game licensed movies", but actively objects to their existence as much as movie licensed video games....
And like that, my interest was killed.
🤦
Atleast some places gave Halo GOTY if nothing else.
So far every piece of good news with Halo has been followed up with one or more bad pieces.
Oh, so kind of like how stores have their own generic brand, to go along with the coke's and the pepsi's. That's gonna be this halo. I mean it's not what we've played, nor read.
Sounds like a sensible choice.
Two different mediums. Two different ways to tell a story and keep people engaged.
My only concern is the production quality of the show, as it's obviously ALOT more expensive to do Halo justice than it is to adapt something that's more grounded like The Last of Us on HBO.
It is a wise choice overall. Look at Disney's star wars films to understand why. Three terrible films that are canon and can't be erased.
Many of the people who played all Halo's still struggle with all the Forerunner stuff that started after Halo 4. Dropping the entire covenant and Forerunner universe in the tv show at the start would be just pointless.
From the trailer and cast, it seems they are focusing on fairly early covenant war but also planting some hints at forerunners. Which is a sensible choice.
@BrilliantBill Forward Unto Dawn is already canon. Can't get much worse than that. 😂
@InterceptorAlpha @BrilliantBill Yeah, I was gonna say, the cannon story already got bad a while ago. Human covenant war, the firing
Forerunner weapons and flood arc made sense. After that or stopped making sense. And banished on red just aren't covenant in purple...
Wow thats some high quality over there. Cant wait for this to come out.
@InterceptorAlpha you are right. it is something that is poorly made in quality yes. But it is not something that damages the characters in the canon and brings some really bad ideas into the story (Hitler Cortana in 5 or "i thought you would be taller" from 4). It is just low-budget but it doesn't commit any sins IMO.
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