Earlier this year, Pablo Schreiber was cast Master Chief on Showtime’s upcoming live-action Halo series. Now, Showtime has revealed that several other main roles have been cast at the Television Critics Association Press Tour.
Via Deadline, Californication star Natascha McElhone has been cast in two key roles. She’ll play the fan favorite A.I., Cortana, as well as Dr. Catherine Halsey, “the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan supersoldiers and Cortana.”
Additionally, Fargo and Spider-Man: Homecoming actor Bokeem Woodbine has signed on to play Soren-066. He’s “a morally complex privateer” and an old friend of Master Chief’s. Shabana Azmi will portray Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence. As previously revealed, Yerin Ha is also starring in the show as Kwan Ha, “a shrewd, audacious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies.” Kwan’s fate will be intertwined with Master Chief’s destiny. However, it’s unclear exactly how Kwan and Master Chief will come together. Kwan wasn’t present in the original video games.
RELATED: Pablo Schreiber is Master Chief on Showtime’s Halo Series
Showtime also announced three new characters created for the series. Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron) is set to play Spartan Vannak-134, Master Chief’s “defacto deputy.” Natasha Culzac (The Witcher) will step into the role of Spartan Riz-028, a woman who is described as “a focused, professional and deadly, cybernetically enhanced killing machine.” Finally, Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe) is set to play “a courageous, curious and deadly supersoldier” named Spartan Kai-125.
The series is based upon the blockbuster Halo video games that debuted in 2001. Over the course of the game series, Microsoft, Bungie, and 343 Industries have introduced players to the 26th century war between humanity and the alien Covenant. There have been several attempts to make a live-action Halo movie, but none of them came to fruition. Even Peter Jackson and Neill Blomkamp couldn’t make that happen. At one point, Halo was even going to be an Xbox Live original series. However, the current series will finally break the franchise out of development Hell.
RELATED: Showtime’s Halo Series Gets a New Director
Halo will begin filming its first season later this year in Budapest. Showtime is producing the series with 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Television. Steven Kane (The Last Ship) is the executive producer and showrunner. Showtime will probably launch Halo in 2021. Halo Infinite, the next game in the series, will hit Xbox One in 2020.
What do you think about the latest additions to the cast of Halo? Are there any other characters you want to see on the show? Let us know in the comment section below!
Recommended Reading: Halo Mythos: A Guide to the Story of Halo
