Gear up, Spartans, legendary video game franchise Halo has finally got the big budget adaptation it deserved for years, courtesy of Paramount Plus. The streaming service has brought the epic worlds and characters of Halo to life, and to do so, they need a clan of Spartans ready to do the job.
As the TV series brings justice to a franchise with such a dedicated fan base (no pressure), here's a deep dive into the cast and characters of Halo.
(NOTE: The following will contain spoilers of all Halo video games up to Halo: Infinite)
Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief
The hero of the Halo saga, Master Chief Petty Officer John-117 (aka Master Chief) was abducted when he was 6 years old by the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and put into the SPARTAN II program. Master Chief was engineered to become the perfect super solder and quickly rose through the ranks to become a legend.
In the series, Chief will be played by Pablo Schreiber from Orange is the New Black, The Wire, and American Gods. In a recent interview with The Nerds of Color, Schreiber spoke about the show’s need to highlight the tension and conversation between the "Master Chief the soldier" and "Master Chief the human." To get access to the character’s humanity, it was necessary to see a side of Chief they’ve never seen before, and remove the character’s armor in the show.
Jen Taylor as Cortana
Cortana is the A.I. companion of Master Chief, aiding him during his fights against enemy alien forces. Cortana is intelligent and incredibly useful, becoming John-117’s most trusted ally.
Jen Taylor, who plays Cortana in all Halo games will be reprising her role for the series. Taylor is a gifted voice over performer who has been integral to the franchise since the first game. She’s also voiced Dr. Halsey in multiple installments and (fun fact) is also the voice of Princess Peach and Toad in the modern Mario games.
Natascha McElhone as Dr. Catherine Elizabeth Halsey
Amoral Dr. Halsey is one of the antagonists of the Halo franchise. She originated the Spartan program and was instrumental in the abduction and experimentation of young children into super soldiers (including John-117). Halsey did all of this in the name of stopping the threat of human insurrectionists, but the purpose eventually evolved into needing the Spartans for the Human-Covenant wars.
On the show, Dr. Halsey will be played by veteran actress Natascha McElhone, of Truman Show and Californication fame. McElhone’s interpretation of Halsey shares a very fascinating relationship with Master Chief. Per an interview with TV Line, McElhone spoke about the paradoxical nature of wanting to control him but fascination in his rebellion, which somewhat still endears him to her.
"She’s amazed by his change and no doubt also slightly worried about it. But she’s constantly exploring, constantly not accepting the status quo and smashing it," she states in the discussion.
Yerin Ha as Kwan Ha Boo
Kwan Ha is a new character for the show. She is a human insurrectionist from the planet of Madrigal. Kwan Ha is played by breakout star, Yerin Ha.
In a recent roundtable interview with the cast, Ha mentioned that, because of the originality of the character, she had to really draw from the scripts to focus on the themes of corrupt politics and hope in bringing her character to life. She also underwent a lot of physical training for the role, having to frequently switch between the physical fierceness that was required and the emotional weight as well.
Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066
Soren-066 is a character that was featured in the Halo short story Pariah, from the collection Halo: Evolutions — Essential Tales of the Halo Universe. In the story, Soren-066 is visited by Dr. Halsey at the age of 6 and given a choice to join the first SPARTAN program. After being deformed during experiments, he ends up being forced to take a desk job at the UNSC and begins to side with the insurrectionists.
Emmy-nominee Bookeem Woodbine is playing him in the show. Woodbine is best known for his role as Mike Milligan in the second season of Fargo. However, many fans also remember him as the Shocker from Spider-Man: Homecoming and supporting roles in Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Spencer Confidential. Woodbine is a very versatile actor who can navigate adeptly between comedy and drama. It’s a skill that will be required for Soren given the complex history of a character who possesses more personality than his fellow Spartans (former Spartans in his case).
Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes
Miranda is the daughter of Dr. Halsey and Jacob Keyes. She lived with her mother for the first six years of her life. But being that Halsey couldn’t prioritize Miranda over her work, she decided to give her up to Jacob.
Olive Gray is portraying Keyes in the series. Gray was a star from a very young age, landing a lead role in the mystery BBC series Half Moon Investigations. They have also starred in films like Teen Spirit and the Peacock original series, Save Me.
Danny Sapani as Captain Jacob Keyes
Captain Jacob Keyes is the father of Miranda. In the games he is close to Master Chief, appearing as a friend in the first game.
Danny Sapani takes on the role of Jacob in the series, but the character doesn’t appear to have the same relationship with Master Chief as he does in the game. Sapani is best known to fans of the Showtime series Penny Dreadful as Sembene, the faithful assistant to Timothy Dalton’s Malcom Murray. He’s also held roles in Black Panther and Star Wars: The Last Jedi, so he’s clearly no stranger to sprawling sci-fi franchise epics.
All episodes of Halo are now available to stream in the UK and the US on Paramount Plus.
