Paramount Plus' live-action Halo TV Series has continued to fill out its cast, with several more stars reporting for duty alongside Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief.
Halo: The Series will focus on the 26th-century war between the United Nations Space Command (UNSC) and the alien forces of the Covenant. Production on the series began in Budapest in 2019 but the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruptions. Cameras started rolling again in late 2020, with the series now scheduled to release on Paramount+ in 2022.
Otto Bathurst is onboard to direct and produce the live-action series, bringing many of the game's beloved characters to life. Kyle Killen and Steven Kane are both credited as showrunners on the first season's nine episode order, however, neither will be continuing with the show if it happens to be picked up for a second season.
Keep reading for a rundown of who's appearing in the Halo TV series — and don't forget to bookmark the page, as we'll be updating this article with all-new casting announcements.
Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief
Pablo Schreiber has boarded the Halo TV series to portray lead male protagonist Master Chief, aka Earth's most advanced warrior in the 26th century and the only hope of salvation for a civilization pushed to the brink of destruction by the Covenant — an unstoppable alliance of alien worlds committed to the destruction of humanity.
Schreiber is best known for his roles on The Wire, American Gods, and Orange Is the New Black, proving he's capable of wearing many hats when it comes to his character portrayals, and now he will be sporting the iconic helmet from the Halo video game franchise. The first image of Schreiber's Chief is said to have shown him wearing authentic-looking armor.
Danny Sapani as Jacob Keyes
Another series mainstay was found in Danny Sapani who signed on to play Captain Jacob Keyes in the upcoming adaptation. His character is described as being a dedicated military man, a war hero and a caring father, though he finds that working alongside his daughter and his ex-wife can usually be a cause of conflict rather than comfort.
Olive Gray as Miranda Keyes
Meanwhile, Olive Gray was cast to play Jacob's daughter Dr. Miranda Keyes, with the friction between the pair set to be explored in the new series. Miranda is a brilliant UNSC Commander who is dedicated to understanding the technology, language and culture of the Covenant, but she'll have to learn to navigate the politics of the UNSC to get what she wants.
Charlie Murphy as Makee
Peaky Blinders actress Charlie Murphy also joined the cast as a brand new character named Makee. Makee is an orphaned human raised by the Covenant to hate her own people. She is said to be a different character from the video games' Mahkee, who made her debut in Halo 5: Guardians and is the first female Sangheili person in the series.
Yerin Ha as Quan Ah
Newcomer Yerin Ha will also be portraying an original character in the Halo universe, as she steps forward to play Quan Ah, a shrewd, audacious 16-year-old from the Outer Colonies who meets Master Chief at a fateful time for them both. The budding actress celebrated her breakthrough role on the series in a Facebook post that announced the casting news.
Jen Taylor as Cortana
Jen Taylor, the voice of Cortana in the mainline Halo games, will reprise her role as the "smart" AI for the upcoming TV series. Taylor was enlisted to replace actress Natascha McElhone after she was forced to bow out of the role due to scheduling difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, though McElhone will remain onboard as Cortana's creator.
Cortana made her appearance in the original Halo as the AI for Master Chief, with Taylor voicing the beloved character in Halo: Combat Evolved and its sequels, Halo 2, Halo 3, Halo 4, and Halo 5: Guardians. She also makes a brief appearance in the prequel Halo: Reach, as well as voicing Microsoft's virtual assistant of the same name on Windows devices.
Natascha McElhone as Catherine Halsey
Californication star Natascha McElhone will continue in the role of Dr. Catherine Halsey, a key scientific adviser of the Office of Naval Intelligence who is highly respected for her work as the brilliant, conflicted and inscrutable creator of the Spartan supersoldiers and Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history, and potentially the key to the survival of the human race.
Bokeem Woodbine as Soren-066
After receiving critical acclaim for his role in the second season of the FX series Fargo, Bokeem Woodbine will take on a new role playing Soren-066 in the Halo series. He will embody the morally complex privateer at the fringes of human civilization whose fate will bring him into conflict with his former military masters and his old friend, the Master Chief.
Shabana Azmi as Admiral Margaret Parangosky
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi will portray Admiral Margaret Parangosky, the head of the UNSC's Office of Naval Intelligence. According to her character's Halopedia page, Parangosky is known to be very powerful and deadly. In fact, Dr. Halsey is the only person who has ever crossed her and lived, which may make for an interesting on-screen dynamic.
Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy as three new Spartan characters
The forthcoming TV adaptation is also set to introduce three new characters to the Halo universe. Bentley Kalu, best known for his roles in Avengers: Age of Ultron and American Assassin, will play Spartan Vannak-134, a cybernetically augmented supersoldier conscripted at childhood who serves as the defacto deputy to the Master Chief.
Natasha Culzac, who landed a guest role playing Toruviel on Netflix's The Witcher, will take her place in the Spartan gang. She will portray Riz-028, a focused, professional and deadly, cybernetically enhanced killing machine, while Catastrophe's Kate Kennedy takes on the role of Spartan Kai-125, an all-new courageous, curious and deadly Spartan supersoldier.
Keep checking back here for all the latest casting updates for the Halo TV series.
Adele Ankers is a freelance writer for IGN. Follow her on Twitter.