Summary
After just two seasons, Paramount’s live-action Halo series has been canceled,according to reporting by Variety. The showoriginally debuted in 2022 with a nine-episode first season. That first season wasfollowed up by an eight-episode second season that streamed earlier this year from March through February.
In a statement released to Variety, Paramount confirmed the news and added well-wishes for the cast and crew.
“Paramount+ can confirm that ‘Halo’ will not move forward with a third season on the service. We are extremely proud of this ambitious series and would like to thank our partners at Xbox, 343 Industries and Amblin Television, along with showrunner and executive producer David Wiener, his fellow executive producers, the entire cast led by Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and the amazing crew for all their outstanding work. We wish everyone the best going forward.”
This Reportedly Isn’t The End For Live-Action Halo
While the news is a big bummer for fans of the live-action Halo series, it looks like it won’t be the end for Pablo Schreiber’s Master Chief. That’s because,according to Variety, Xbox, Amblin and 343 Industries will shop the series to other outlets in the hopes of landing a third season. It’s unclear at the time of writing what those outlets are, and what the level of interest may be.
In another statement, 343 reiterated its gratitude to the fans, while also promising a commitment to future Halo projects. Previously, 343 releasedHalo Infinitein 2021, andearlier in June, it was rumored that a Halo: Combat Evolved remaster was in the works. That remaster allegedly could come out on PlayStation.
Though Halo managed to make it two seasons, it was a particularly divisive live-action video game adaptation.It currently has an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes via critics, but a less than favorable 61% audience score. That’s because, as far as a true-to-life video game adaptation, Halo often misses the mark. Hardcore Halo fans, in particular,took issue with the numerous times that Master Chief removed his helmet in the show, something the games have never done. Elsewhere,fans took issue with the show’s limited following of established canon.
In general, a live-action Halo project has been a somewhat cursed endeavor. There was supposed to be a Halo movie back in 2005, though that never amounted to anything as the project faced several issues before ultimately being canned. Even with the TV show eventually being greenlit, it had been a work in progress since 2013 with several shifts in between. Perhaps down the line, Halo can get a true 1:1 adaptation.
