While the impending release of Halo Infinite later this year may be the biggest thing on most fans’ minds right now, it’s not the only major project being worked on for the franchise. A Halo TV series is finally being developed by Showtime along with Microsoft and 343 Industries, and from the sound of it, they’re not sparing expenses.
Before COVID-19 brought a halt to many live-action productions, there were many films and TV series being filmed in Hungary, one of the most popular European destinations for U.S. projects to shoot in. According to a Variety report about the surge in film spending in the country last year, the Halo series was one of the biggest spenders, with more than $41.3 million being put into it.
That amount makes it the second most expensive TV project in 2019, following the TNT series The Alienist. As hefty as $41 million is, it’s worth reminding that that only applies to what’s been spent on the nine-episode series in Hungary. There’s a good chance that Showtime and 343 have spent even more on the Halo TV series elsewhere, though for now one can only speculate as to how much.
If this report is accurate, it means that Showtime and 343 are spending at least $4 million for each episode. That’s a lot of money, even if other sci-fi shows have far more expensive episodes, and while throwing all that money at a project isn’t guaranteed to result in a spectacular final product, it certainly suggests that the show’s producers are confident in its chances of succeeding with both series fans and newcomers.
Outside of spending, the Variety report also touches upon when the series might resume production, which was also halted by the coronavirus pandemic. It stated that Halo is one of the productions slated to resume filming at Hungarian studios before the end of this year, alongside other high profile sci-fi projects like the next film adaptation of Dune.
Currently slated to premiere sometime next year, the Halo series already boasts a pretty impressive cast full of major characters, including Orange is the New Black actor Pablo Schreiber as Master Chief and Californication actress Natascha McElhone as Cortana.
The Halo TV series is set to premiere on Showtime in 2021, barring any further delays.
Source: Variety