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Showtime's Halo Series Has Found Its Master Chief

Xenon

Xenon

Member
When news first broke about Showtime’s live-action series based on Microsoft’s Halo franchise, one of the more surprising details was that the show would revolve around the video game franchise’s hulking Spartan warrior whose face is never actually revealed, because he never removes his helmet. See that face up there? That’s him. That’s Master Chief.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, American Gods’ Pablo Schreiber has signed on to suit up as Master Chief for Showtime’s Halo, which makes a certain degree of sense given that one of Master Chief’s more defining traits is, well, his uncommonly tall height (according to Google, Schreiber’s 6'5"). Schreiber’s alien-fighting super soldier is joined by new character Quan Ah (portrayed by Yerin Ha), a teenaged girl from the Outer Colonies who crosses paths with Master Chief in a way that changes both of their lives.


f7a37219e3416c106caa049560a008db.png







io9.gizmodo.com

Showtime's Halo Series Has Found Its Master Chief

When news first broke about Showtime’s live-action series based on Microsoft’s Halo franchise, one of the more surprising details was that the show would revolve around the video game franchise’s hulking Spartan warrior whose face is never actually revealed, because he never removes his helmet...
io9.gizmodo.com io9.gizmodo.com
 
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DynamiteCop!

DynamiteCop!

Banned
Shifty. said:
Question One

WHY DOES HE HAVE A FACE
Click to expand...
Because he has one, even at the end of Halo: CE he removes his helmet so he's obviously not in it at all times. It's kind of become a troll at this point and unsustainable. Also I'm not going to consider his face, this actors face as cannon which they already stated this show will go outside of.
 
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Kadayi

Kadayi

Banned
Hmm, guess either he's not long for American Gods, or American Gods isn't for long :unsure:

Still good break for him.
 
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Dacon

Dacon

Banned
Lol I guess he's gonna dye his hair and wear contacts? Also, Chief's face is reveal a few times in extended media. You also see a bit of it in the legendary ending in Halo 4.
 
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Shifty

Shifty

Member
DynamiteCop! said:
Because he has one, even at the end of Halo: CE he removes his helmet so he's obviously not in it at all times. It's kind of become a troll at this point and unsustainable. Also I'm not going to consider his face, this actors face as cannon which they already stated this show will go outside of.
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I know Chief has a face insofar as the lore goes, but the fact that you never see it is iconic at this point.

Xenon said:
The more I think about the this the more I think it would have been awesome if they hid the actors identity.
Click to expand...
Definitely. Not something that'd happen unless the producers had one heck of a grasp on the IP and fanbase, but showing off this handsome chap tells me their priorities are out of whack.

I want to hear the voice actor and see the man mountain body double who'll actually wear the suit.
 
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VertigoOA

VertigoOA

Banned
Are they really going under the helmet for the Chief?

Big mistake honestly. Even if it’s good... I don’t think you’re ever supposed to do that with the character.
 
Jigsaah

Jigsaah

Gold Member
What? They are showing Master Chief's face in the show? It's dead in the water...

You can't show Chief's face...That's like Kakashi-sensei pulling down is face mask. There is no mouth...only more face mask!
 
stranno

stranno

Member
Jigsaah said:
You can't show Chief's face...That's like Kakashi-sensei pulling down is face mask. There is no mouth...only more face mask!
Click to expand...
Kakashi revealed his face in Naruto Shippuden 469.

Of course the funny faces episode of regular Naruto was far better.
 
Shifty

Shifty

Member
Jigsaah said:
What? They are showing Master Chief's face in the show? It's dead in the water...

You can't show Chief's face...That's like Kakashi-sensei pulling down is face mask. There is no mouth...only more face mask!
Click to expand...
Exactly, just like Ryu from Ninja Gaiden. Dude is a mask, a pair of eyes, and a katana.

Then they gave him a face in the Dead or Alive franchise and lo and behold, he's an anime boy. Ruined.
 
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Jigsaah

Jigsaah

Gold Member
stranno said:
Kakashi revealed his face in Naruto Shippuden 469.

Of course the funny faces episode of regular Naruto was far better.
Click to expand...

Nani!? I know I've watched past that. Queuing up youtube.

EDIT: GOT DAMMIT!!!
 
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TheShadowLord

TheShadowLord

Member
What's the big deal really if they show his face? Like there are far more better things to worry about in regards to the show(like how it still hasn't come out yet when it has been announced years ago.) . I can't see how showing his face is one of them.
 
Deputy Moonman

Deputy Moonman

Member
I get that his face is never shown in the games but, in the books, the spartans including john, have their helmets off quite often. Honestly, I think they should have just cast Steve Downes. That voice is iconic.
 
VAVA Mk2

VAVA Mk2

Member
Deputy Moonman said:
I get that his face is never shown in the games but, in the books, the spartans including john, have their helmets off quite often. Honestly, I think they should have just cast Steve Downes. That voice is iconic.
Click to expand...

My hope is this guy is the face and does the action but Steve Downes voices over for him. Steve will always be the Chief.
 
somerset

somerset

Member
With respect to the face vs no-face (only mask). Well Stallone's much loathed Judge Dredd film went 'face'. The vastly better Dredd from years later went no-face, despite having a big name actor as well. And, of course, V for Vendetta went no-face.

I would suggest that with iconic IP, the core concepts of the IP should be respected. If the mask doesn't come off, it shouldn't come off in any adaptation, otherwise the value of the IP is fundamentally damaged.

The recent mega-flop Hellboy movie is a good warning about why buying the rights to an IP, then pissing off the fans of that IP turns out so badly. After all no-one forced Showtime to buy the rights to Halo in the first place.

Of course, all too often an arrogant production company thinks it can 'improve' the original creators' vision. Which is curious when you thinbk about it, for if the producers have this skill, why don't they use it to create an original IP? In other words they most certainly do not have the skill, just a boat load of arrogance.

It gets worse. Traditionally, SF plays badly on TV and Film. You know of the mega successes but they are but the exceptions that prove (test) the rule. Space fare tends to play worst of all (to a significant mainstream sized audience) as Orville is sadly showing. I would suggest in the light of this that the only reason to buy an IP is in the hope that unique aspects of that IP will prove to be the magic touchstone. So messing with core values of the IP one has purchased is plain stupid.

I recall all the babies wailing their distress when Ned lost his head, and worse "childish" dragons appeared at the end of season One of Game of Thrones. "juvenile magic nonsense" and "idiotic killing off of the 'best' character fans had spent a season emotionally investing in". Of course HBO didn't survey viewers, thank god, but kept true to the original vision of the Author.

People now forget that season one of GOT was a 'cheapie'- the real mega-expensive show of that year was the mega-flop "Camelot". This show threw everything people loved about the King Arthur legend in the bin- took off the mask in other words. Cos the producers knew best. Whereas in reality what people wanted was a TV show like the movie Excaliber. Camelot was forgotten before 3 episodes of season 1 played. This year's opener to the latest season of GOT was the most talked about episode of a TV show ever.

Most of the major TV critics attacked GOT for killing Ned, and called the birth of the dragons "laughable". The same critics will all state that if the mask stays on in Halo, Showtime are clueless. But the same critic peer pressure was why Arnie was cast as Mr Freeze in the Batman movie when all the fans wanted Patrick Stewart to play the roll.

Please treat IP with respect. Then if a film/TV show flops it flops. But don't force existing genre IP thru the lowest common denominator Hollywood sausage machine.
 
VincentMatts

VincentMatts

Member
somerset said:
With respect to the face vs no-face (only mask). Well Stallone's much loathed Judge Dredd film went 'face'. The vastly better Dredd from years later went no-face, despite having a big name actor as well. And, of course, V for Vendetta went no-face.

I would suggest that with iconic IP, the core concepts of the IP should be respected. If the mask doesn't come off, it shouldn't come off in any adaptation, otherwise the value of the IP is fundamentally damaged.

The recent mega-flop Hellboy movie is a good warning about why buying the rights to an IP, then pissing off the fans of that IP turns out so badly. After all no-one forced Showtime to buy the rights to Halo in the first place.

Of course, all too often an arrogant production company thinks it can 'improve' the original creators' vision. Which is curious when you thinbk about it, for if the producers have this skill, why don't they use it to create an original IP? In other words they most certainly do not have the skill, just a boat load of arrogance.

It gets worse. Traditionally, SF plays badly on TV and Film. You know of the mega successes but they are but the exceptions that prove (test) the rule. Space fare tends to play worst of all (to a significant mainstream sized audience) as Orville is sadly showing. I would suggest in the light of this that the only reason to buy an IP is in the hope that unique aspects of that IP will prove to be the magic touchstone. So messing with core values of the IP one has purchased is plain stupid.

I recall all the babies wailing their distress when Ned lost his head, and worse "childish" dragons appeared at the end of season One of Game of Thrones. "juvenile magic nonsense" and "idiotic killing off of the 'best' character fans had spent a season emotionally investing in". Of course HBO didn't survey viewers, thank god, but kept true to the original vision of the Author.

People now forget that season one of GOT was a 'cheapie'- the real mega-expensive show of that year was the mega-flop "Camelot". This show threw everything people loved about the King Arthur legend in the bin- took off the mask in other words. Cos the producers knew best. Whereas in reality what people wanted was a TV show like the movie Excaliber. Camelot was forgotten before 3 episodes of season 1 played. This year's opener to the latest season of GOT was the most talked about episode of a TV show ever.

Most of the major TV critics attacked GOT for killing Ned, and called the birth of the dragons "laughable". The same critics will all state that if the mask stays on in Halo, Showtime are clueless. But the same critic peer pressure was why Arnie was cast as Mr Freeze in the Batman movie when all the fans wanted Patrick Stewart to play the roll.

Please treat IP with respect. Then if a film/TV show flops it flops. But don't force existing genre IP thru the lowest common denominator Hollywood sausage machine.
Click to expand...

Stallone’s movie would have been shit even had he kept his mask on. This is based on the books, not the games. The only reason you never see his face in the games is because originally, the idea was that they wanted “you” to be the hero and showing his face would imply that you’re not. That idea just stuck around in the games.

The TV show isn’t an interactive video game, it’s a TV show. People have faces. There’s no sense in hiding it in a medium like television where it serves really no purpose, unless your character is Darth Vader and has burns all over his body.
 
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CaptainClaw

CaptainClaw

Member
Just my two cents but can this series really be taken seriously if Chief doesn't show his face. I mean this isn't that Machinima Foward Unto Dawn series, this is big production/big names behind it with Amblin & Showtime. If Showtime get it right you'll have a lot more than "Halo Fans" watching it.
 
Joe T.

Joe T.

Member
He's going to need to become one of the world's greatest actors overnight for me to buy into this. I've watched him in The Wire, Orange is the New Black, Skyscraper and I just don't see it.

I think this was destined to fail without HBO/GoT-caliber support, but I'll keep my mind open.
 
W

whitereport

Member
Joe T. said:
He's going to need to become one of the world's greatest actors overnight for me to buy into this. I've watched him in The Wire, Orange is the New Black, Skyscraper and I just don't see it.

I think this was destined to fail without HBO/GoT-caliber support, but I'll keep my mind open.
Click to expand...
He is pretty good in American Gods, in my opinion. I like him. We’ll see, I guess.
 
ExpandKong

ExpandKong

Banned
Joe T. said:
He's going to need to become one of the world's greatest actors overnight for me to buy into this. I've watched him in The Wire, Orange is the New Black, Skyscraper and I just don't see it.

I think this was destined to fail without HBO/GoT-caliber support, but I'll keep my mind open.
Click to expand...

I dunno, Master Chief has never really been a character with a broad variety of emotions or whatever the right word is.
 
JimiNutz

JimiNutz

Banned
This is stupid.

I can understand entirely why they don't want Spartans in armor the whole time for the show, which is why they should focus on other Spartan characters. Why does a Halo show have to be primarily about Master Chief? They should focus on other Spartan characters and Chief can turn up in the background, an unstoppable force that the other Spartans reference/revere but you never see under the helmet, like Darth Vader but obviously a good character rather than evil.

Forward Unto Dawn got this right, Chief was in that but you never saw under the helmet because it focused on other characters and he just turned up to wreck shit and save the day.
 
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mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
NutJobJim said:
This is stupid.

I can understand entirely why they don't want Spartans in armor the whole time for the show, which is why they should focus on other Spartan characters. Why does a Halo show have to be primarily about Master Chief? They should focus on other Spartan characters and Chief can turn up in the background, an unstoppable force that the other Spartans reference/revere but you never see under the helmet, like Darth Vader but obviously a good character rather than evil.

Forward Unto Dawn got this right, Chief was in that but you never saw under the helmet because it focused on other characters and he just turned up to wreck shit and save the day.
Click to expand...
Or like the short movie "Babysitter". Focus on the marines or ODSTs and their relationship with the Spartans.
 
Mattyp

Mattyp

Gold Member
somerset said:
The vastly better Dredd from years later went no-face
Click to expand...

Dredd 2012 is one of the best dystopian movies ever produced and anyone that wants to argue the fact can fight me. I absolutely loath movies like this can't get the people in studios to get sequels done but we'll see marvel number 183 or something out this summer.

On the topic at hand, I'm actually relieved in this choice.
 
mcz117chief

mcz117chief

Member
NutJobJim said:
Yeah that would work too but I think it'd be cool to have at least one main character be a Spartan, just not Chief.
Click to expand...
Well, Cal was a Spartan in The Babysitter and I think it worked well. She was a very imposing character despite having only few lines of dialogue and was a constant presence is the movie. I would definitely consider her one of the main characters.
 
JimiNutz

JimiNutz

Banned
mcz117chief said:
Well, Cal was a Spartan in The Babysitter and I think it worked well. She was a very imposing character despite having only few lines of dialogue and was a constant presence is the movie. I would definitely consider her one of the main characters.
Click to expand...

To be honest I haven't watched it since Legends originally came out so my memory of it is poor but yeah, that would work.
 
Lone Wolf

Lone Wolf

Member
Sorry to bump this, but apparently filming is starting soon. Also Captain Keyes and the fam are black now or something.
 
C

Contica

Unconfirmed Member
Lone Wolf said:
Sorry to bump this, but apparently filming is starting soon. Also Captain Keyes and the fam are black now or something.
Click to expand...

If Halo was a medieval series about super soldiers set in ancient China or central Europe, I'd have an issue with that.

But this is a futuristic sci fi in space and I don't give a shit.
 
Breakfast at Noon

Breakfast at Noon

Member
Should of just cast the guy who plays Vorhees like Derek Meres, as long as we not showing his face you can get a monster of a guy who's also a stunt man.

Contica said:
If Halo was a medieval series about super soldiers set in ancient China or central Europe, I'd have an issue with that.

But this is a futuristic sci fi in space and I don't give a shit.
Click to expand...

It's still fucking with heavily established lore, it's not like Halo is short on minorities and needs them squeezing in.
 
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C

Contica

Unconfirmed Member
Breakfast at Noon said:
Should of just cast the guy who plays Vorhees like Derek Meres, as long as we not showing his face you can get a monster of a guy who's also a stunt man.



It's still fucking with heavily established lore, it's not like Halo is short on minorities and needs them squeezing in.
Click to expand...

It's already established that this runs outside canon. What does it matter? How is this significant to the lore? Adaptations always change things. In the book, Alan Grant had a beard and loved children, Ian Malcom was balding, and John Hammonf was a bit of a prick. Also, James Arnold was white iirc, so now Sam Jackson.

Did that hurt Jurassic Park the movie? No.
 
ExpandKong

ExpandKong

Banned
At this point it’s more surprising when they don’t make a character black.

Contica said:
It's already established that this runs outside canon. What does it matter? How is this significant to the lore? Adaptations always change things. In the book, Alan Grant had a beard and loved children, Ian Malcom was balding, and John Hammonf was a bit of a prick. Also, James Arnold was white iirc, so now Sam Jackson.

Did that hurt Jurassic Park the movie? No.
Click to expand...

If they were doing this to established black characters you wouldn’t even think of saying this though. “Yeah well Ian Malcom was balding” lol oh okay.
 
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