The Halo TV Series Will Exist In A New Timeline
Originally developed by Bungie in 2001, the "Halo" franchise has expanded well beyond video games to encompass novels, comic books, and now a live-action series. But for those who are curious about the "Halo" TV show despite having only a vague impression of what the property is even about (Me; I'm talking about people like me.), there's good news: you don't need to know Master Chief's story inside and out before watching the live-action adaptation.
In a video interview posted to Twitter (via GamesRadar+), Kiki Wolfkill — who oversees the "Halo" property's transmedia for 343 Industries, the current developer of the series — revealed the TV show takes place in a timeline separate from the franchise's main continuity. As she explained:
"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 being able to give ourselves the chance to evolve both and for both to be what they need to be for their mediums without colliding with each other."
It's (Not) All Connected
This reads like a sound decision on Wolfkill and 343 Industries' part. For those who aren't already well-versed in the main "Halo" lore, this means they won't have to catch up on two decades of storytelling to fully understand what's happening on the live-action series. This also means longtime "Halo" fans won't have to rack their brains trying to figure out how the show's events fit into the franchise's core mythology and are instead getting a story they've never been told before. It's a win-win, really.
All in all, it's a welcome change of pace for the "Halo" series, which had to travel a long and rocky road to becoming a reality. (Recall that the show was first announced back in 2013.) In its final form, "Halo" is being show-run and executive produced by Kyle Killen (the creator of "Awake" and co-writer of "Fear Street: Part One – 1994") and Steven Kane ("The Closer," "The Last Ship"), with Pablo Schreiber ("American Gods") starring as Master Chief opposite Natascha McElhone ("Californication") as Doctor Halsey, Bokeem Woodbine ("Spider-Man: Homecoming") as Spartan soldier Soren-066, and "Halo" voice actor Jen Taylor reprising her role in the games as Cortana, among others.
The show's official synopsis reads as follows:
Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, "Halo" the series will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.
"Halo" launches on Paramount+ in 2022.