#Halo: Paramount+ Drops Thrilling First Trailer Ahead of 2022 Premiere

The Halo series, based on the ground-breaking first-person shooter Xbox video game, will stream on Paramount+ in 2022.

Although it was ordered to series by Showtime in 2018, Paramount+ acquired its exclusive distribution rights earlier this year.

At the eighth annual Game Awards live stream on Dec 9, the first-look trailer was debuted, showcasing the faces of many major characters but, not surprisingly, not the face of its central protagonist, the soldier known as Master Chief.

According to Paramount+, “HALO will take place in the universe that first came to be in 2001 with the launch of Xbox®’s first ‘Halo’ game.

“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.”

The trailer provides a glimpse of a visually epic landscape filled with military forces fighting an as-yet-unseen enemy.

Pablo Schreiber was cast as Master Chief Spartan-117 in April 2019. It’s understandable why we don’t see him without his helmet and armor in the trailer since that’s how Master Chief usually appears.

Master Chief and his AI, Cortana, are central to the human resistance to the Covenant aliens who wage a holy war on humanity.

Natascha McElhone initially had double-duty, cast as both Cortana and Dr. Halsey, the scientist responsible for creating the Spartan super-soldiers.

In November 2020, it was announced that Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana in every major game in the Halo franchise, would be assuming the role in the series as well.

This seems in keeping with the trailer where McElhone appears in a lab coat. Taylor’s casting pays fan service to the gamers who have become attached to her voice as Master Chief’s constant companion.

Halo has been a phenomenon since its launch twenty years ago. Since then, the franchise has sold over 82 million copies of its games and has branched out successfully into other media — novels, graphic novels, animation — as well as spawning the popular web series, Red Vs. Blue.

The production has had its share of challenges. Filming began just as the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2019. There have been several showrunner and director changes since the show was initially ordered due to various reasons.

All that being said, the trailer has a stunning look and tone, effectively translating the game’s conflict to a live-action military situation.

What are your first impressions? Are you ready to suit up for this battle?

Who are you most excited to see in live-action? Hit our comments with your best predictions.

SHOWTIME® produces HALO in partnership with 343 Industries, along with Amblin Television. It is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group and will stream exclusively on Paramount+ in 2022.

Diana Keng is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.