The long-awaited TV adaptation of the hit video game series Halo is ending its run on Paramount Plus after two seasons. The flagship Paramount Plus series, which followed Pablo Schreiber’s Master Chief John-117 during a 26th century war between the United Nations Space Command and the Covenant, has had a rocky development path, with Steven Spielberg first discussing a film adaptation in the mid-2000s.
Ten years later, things finally got going on the TV version, with an announcement for a 2015 premiere on Showtime, which was then delayed until 2019, with Rise of the Planet of the Apes director Rupert Wyatt is on board to direct and Kyle Killen is serving as showrunner. By the time the show aired in 2022, it had moved to Paramount Plus – you could also find it on YouTube before Halo season two was released earlier this year in February – Wyatt was replaced by Peaky BlindersOtto Bathurst and Steven Kane had come on board as co-showrunners.
The problems didn’t stop there, however, as Kane and Killen left the poorly-reviewed show before its second season and David Weiner hired a new showrunner. This behind-the-scenes turmoil may be the reason Paramount has decided to cut ties with the show, though sources say the show’s producers – Amblin, Xbox, and 343 Industries – are eager to sell the series to other top streaming services for a potential third season or more.
What do fans think about the cancellation?
While a statement from 343 Industries thanked the millions of fans who supported the Halo series a global success” and said the production company “remains committed to broadening the Halo “The universe will change in many ways going forward,” fans of the franchise have mixed feelings about its cancellation.
Many have complained on social media that the TV version was a poor adaptation. One Reddit user defended the show by stating that “the second one was a huge improvement (…) If the game didn’t exist and it was its own thing, it would have been an internet darling.”
However, another expressed disappointment with the show as a whole, saying, “I cancelled it after a few episodes,” while a third discussed how deviating from the game’s storyline and focusing too much on Master Chief’s backstory “robbed him of his mystique or at least what makes him cool.”
There may still be a future for Halo on another streaming service, but for Master Chief and co. on Paramount Plus, it’s game over.