“Halo” has been renewed for a second season by Paramount Plus, in advance of the series premiere of the long-anticipated video game adaptation on March 24. David Wiener — who created “Brave New World” and was a co-executive producer on “Fear the Walking Dead” and “Homecoming” — is also officially joining the series as executive producer and showrunner, which was first reported on Feb 1.
The early renewal is a strong vote of confidence for the adaptation of Microsoft’s $6 billion-dollar blockbuster gaming franchise for the Xbox, which has been in the works as a series since 2014. (That followed Microsoft’s earlier attempt to adapt “Halo” as a feature film property starting in 2005.) Kyle Killen first signed on to run the series in June 2018 when it was still set to debut on Showtime, and Steven Kane joined in March 2019 to continue developing the series, ultimately taking over as lead showrunner when Killen exited. Then Kane announced that he would step away from showrunner duties upon completing Season 1, citing the massive scope of the series and the COVID-disrupted production schedule that lasted for two years in Hungary.
“‘Halo’ takes us into a dazzling world that we believe will enthrall audiences as much with its electrifying visuals as its bold, character-driven storytelling,” said Showtime and Paramount Plus chief David Nevins in a statement. “This second-season pickup reflects the confidence we have in the power of this epic series to attract and engage viewers.”
“‘Halo’ is an expansive, world-building opportunity for Paramount Plus, and we’re thrilled to give fans a second season to look forward to before we launch the series next month,” said Paramount Plus chief programming officer Tanya Giles.
“Halo” stars Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief, Spartan-117, the central character in the main “Halo” games, with costars Natascha McElhone, Jen Taylor, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, Kate Kennedy, Danny Sapani, Olive Gray and Charlie Murphy.
Showtime, Amblin Television and video game developer 343 Industries will continue to produce “Halo,” which moved from the pay cable outlet to Paramount Plus in February 2021. Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie will executive produce for One Big Picture, with Bathurst directing multiple episodes in the first season. Steven Spielberg, Toby Leslie and Justin Falvey are executive producing for Amblin, and Kiki Wolfkill, Frank O’Connor and Bonnie Ross are executive producing with 343 Industries. “Halo” is distributed internationally by ViacomCBS Global Distribution Group.
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