That Halo TV series you forgot about is headed to Paramount Plus

halo infinite
(Image credit: Xbox)

Update: Ever wanted to see Master Chief's face? Well it just leaked, and it's worse than anyone feared

The forever in-development Halo TV series seems to have found a new home in Paramount Plus. The adventures of Master Chief and Cortana will no longer air on Showtime, but instead will be found on the soon-to-debut streaming network, which launches March 4. 

The report comes from Deadline, which claims ViacomCBS is set to make the announcement. 

Rumors of the Halo TV series began cropping up in 2013, with Steven Spielberg's Amblin Television heading up production. Showtime placed a ten-episode order in 2018 with Kyle Killen (Mind Games) set as showrunner.

The series is currently in production in Budapest and will appear on the new ParamountPlus streaming network in Q1 2022. 

Given the show's production delay and the launch of Paramount Plus, David Nevins, chief creative officer, CBS and CEO, Showtime Networks, felt that Halo could be the property to help propel the new streaming service.

“We were on the hunt for signature shows beyond the Star Trek franchise on CBS All Access and were thinking, what could be a defining series for Paramount Plus," Nevins said in an interview with Deadline. 

"It could be a defining show for a newish service that’s got all firepower of an entertainment corporation behind it," Nevins added.

For ViacomCBS, it feels that Showtime should remain a "premium adult programming service" network, while Paramount Plus could appeal to a younger, streaming-first crowd. 

"Halo always fit the bill, but seeing it, we felt it would work," Nevins said.

Prior to the pandemic, the Halo TV series had filmed 55% to 65% of its first season, according to Deadline. Showtime will continue to produce the show. 

The Halo TV series will star American-Canadian actor Pablo Schreiber (First Man) as Master Chief, with Jen Taylor (the voice from the Halo game) as Cortana and Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Catherine Halsey.

Imad Khan

Imad is currently Senior Google and Internet Culture reporter for CNET, but until recently was News Editor at Tom's Guide. Hailing from Texas, Imad started his journalism career in 2013 and has amassed bylines with the New York Times, the Washington Post, ESPN, Wired and Men's Health Magazine, among others. Outside of work, you can find him sitting blankly in front of a Word document trying desperately to write the first pages of a new book.