Countless television productions stopped throughout 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but are finally starting to pick up as studios get their pandemic precautions figured out ahead of vaccine availability. Production on Showtime’s long-awaited Halo television show, which is shooting in Budapest, Hungary, is back underway, and the social team at game developer 343 Industries dropped a few set photos for us to pore over.
The photos on offer run the gamut from weapons to monsters to a recently-returned actor, along with a message from co-showrunner Kiki Wolfkill.
“As you may have seen on IG last month, after a herculean effort on Showtime’s part, we were able to go back to Budapest a few months ago and resume production on the Halo television series! While we were able to cover a lot of ground during the pandemic ‘hiatus’, the thing we couldn’t do while working from home was to actually shoot,” Wolfkill wrote. “So with a rigorous covid protocol in place and our fingers crossed, we picked up where we left off in March and were able to get some amazing footage in the can. Oh, and this time I got to pack Jen Taylor in my luggage to bring her Cortana magic to the show! What a gift to have her on our set and in Budapest with me. So much to share in 2021 but in the meantime, stay safe, Spartans and enjoy this tiny sneak peek!”
Jen Taylor is best known as the actress who portrays both Master Chief’s AI companion Cortana and her creator Dr. Catherine Halsey in the Halo games, starting with the original Halo: Combat Evolved in 2001, up through the upcoming Halo Infinite. Actress Natascha McElhone (Solaris, Ronin) was initially cast to play both characters, but has reduced her role on the show. McElhone is still cast as Halsey, but Taylor will take her rightful place in Master Chief’s ear.
The photodump also confirms that at least some of the visual effects will be the traditional sort. Wrapped in plastic is what looks to be the hand of a Elite or Sangheili, one of the hulking soldiers of the Covenant. It’s unclear from the photo whether this is part of a bigger model or suit, or if its simply meant to be used as an off-screen effect.
Finally, we have a couple shots of gear for use in the show. The gun looks closest to the BR85 battle rifle, thanks to the long carrying handle that extends up to the muzzle on the gun, and the short scope mounted toward the back. The crate looks to be an ammo crate, but it doesn’t closely resemble any in-game materiel that we can recall.
Showtime’s Halo TV series stars Pablo Schreiber (Orange is the New Black) as Master Chief. Bokeen Woodbine, Shabana Amzi, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Kate Kennedy are also cast in various roles. Halo is currently set to debut on Showtime sometime in 2021, though pandemic-related delays mean that date could move.
