Showtime's upcoming live-action Halo TV series is one step closer to finally becoming a reality. A charming new photo shared to the show's Twitter account shows the full, core cast together for the first time, and they're looking good.
Not only that, but it also reveals three new actors who have joined the project as established characters from the Halo canon. Before we dive into the new additions, check out the whole gang below.
As initially reported by Variety, Showtime has cast David Sapani (Penny Dreadful) as Captain Jacob Keyes. Keyes is described as "a dedicated military man, a war hero and a caring father. He finds that working alongside his daughter and his ex-wife is usually the cause of conflict rather than comfort."
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His daughter, Dr. Miranda Keyes, is a "brilliant UNSC Commander who is dedicated to understanding the technology, language and culture of the Covenant, but she'll have to learn to navigate the politics of the UNSC to get what she wants." She'll be played in the Halo TV show by Olive Gray (Fleabag, EastEnders).
Finally, Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders) will be playing a character called Makee. Variety describes her as "an orphaned human who was raised by the alien Covenant and shares their contempt for humanity."
Makee seems to be a brand new character not seen before in Halo, unless I'm very much mistaken. Either way, it certainly sounds like there'll be plenty of dramatic tension and conflicting ideals mixed in with the all the alien-blasting action.
343 Industries transmedia boss Kiki Wolfkill certainly suggested as much a few months back, anyway. She explained that Halo will be taking inspiration from HBO's Game of Thrones. Not by having eight seasons that build up to a crappy finale, but by being a show that's essentially a "political drama" first and foremost.
The new additions to the cast join Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black, American Gods) as Master Chief, and Natascha McElhone (Californicati) as Cortana/Dr Catherine Halsey. The latter, by the way, is actually Miranda Keyes' mum. But if you love Halo you probably already knew that.
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Emmy-nominated Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo) is playing Soren-066, while Indian cinema icon Shabana Azmi takes on the role of Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence. It's a really solid cast, basically. Let's just hope the writing and direction does them justice.
Halo goes into production in Budapest later this month, and is expected to debut in early 2021. We also know that Showtime has teamed up with Halo developer 343 Industries and Stephen Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment. Tentatively speaking, I have a pretty good feeling about this adaptation.
Featured Image Credit: MicrosoftTopics: Halo, 343 Industries, Halo Infinite
