Showtime’s Halo Live-Action TV Series Was Inspired by Game of Thrones

Work continues on the upcoming live-action Halo TV series by Showtime and now that they’ve found their Master Chief in actor Pablo Schreiber, the fun can really begin! While we await more official information about the upcoming adaptation, 343 Industries’ studio head Kiki Wolfkill opened up a bit more about the show and its surprising inspiration.

Wolfkill described the upcoming show as very character-driven, dramatic, and very high-budget. She also mentioned that they are not cutting any corners and are going bigger than ever before, which is where Game of Thrones came into play: 

“We talk about Game of Thrones a lot in terms of scope, scale, and complexity of relationships because a lot of the background of Halo is sort of political drama and it’s something that you touch on really lightly in the games and see more deeply in some of the other mediums. So in something like Game of Thrones, some of that complexity is interesting.” 

She also jokingly added, “No incest is planned at all of the show, if you’re liking for that, you won’t find that here” when referencing the very rampant theme in the HBO series. 

As for the show itself, the upcoming series is still without a release date, though we do know a little bit about what it will entail. According to the studio, the latest adaptation of the beloved franchise will follow the general paths of the games with a full focus on the 26th-century conflict between the Covenant and humanity. Showtime also added that it will “weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure, and a richly imagined vision of the future.” 

Though we don’t have a release window quite yet, filming is set to begin this Fall in Budapest, Hungary. With Awake’s Kyle Killen and The Last Ship’s Steven Kane as the current showrunners, it will be interested to see how they take this hightly beloved video game franchise and flip it into a new live-action tale that all will be able to enjoy. Though not the first live-action adaptation, it could be exactly what Halo fans want prior to 343 Industries’ Halo: Infinite which is currently in the works.