Showtime has revealed new Halo TV series cast members, including Natascha McElhone, who will play both Dr. Catherine Halsey and Cortana. Showtime announced in April that American Gods and Orange Is the New Black actor Pablo Schreiber was cast as Master Chief in the series, and today’s announcement adds six new cast members to the series’ lineup.
The official Halo on Showtime Twitter account announced the new additions to the Halo TV Series cast this afternoon. Along with McElhone, who previously acted in TV series Californication and Designated Survivor (along with Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and its sequel), showtime announced that Bokeem Woodbine, Azmi Shabana, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac, and Kate Kenners will join the Halo TV series cast list.
Ooh Rah! Welcome #NataschaMcElhone (@nataschaandsons), #BokeemWoodbine, @AzmiShabana, @bentleykalu, #NatashaCulzac, and @katekenners, the latest recruits to join #Halo, only on #Showtime. #TCA19 pic.twitter.com/F4qEpoCCDt
— Halo on Paramount+ (@HaloTheSeries) August 2, 2019
GameSpot reported on the actors’ roles, including McElhone’s as Cortana. Woodbine will play Soren-066, a character that first appeared in a collection of Halo short stories, and Azmi will play Admiral Margarey Parangosky, who first appeared in a Halo novel. The rest of the actors’ characters are entirely new to the Halo universe. Kalu plays Vannak-134, who is “essentially Master Chief’s deputy in the USNC,” according to GameSpot. Culzac will play Riz-028, who is described as “focused, professional and deadly.” Kennedy will play Kai-125, who is also described as deadly — but as courageous and curious, too.
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The Halo TV series was officially announced by Showtime last summer, and Showtime announced the series’ director, Otto Bathurst, this February after the show’s previous director left in December 2018. The series is set to feature ten one-hour long episodes, and 343 Industries Executive Producer Kiki Wolfkill claimed this April that the series might not stick closely to its Halo source material, possibly changing around details such as dates, locations and characters’ ethnicities, but still respecting the series’ lore. The addition of new characters like Riz-028, Kai-125, and Quan Ah, a 16-year-old character announced at the same time as Master Chief’s casting, certainly seem to indicate the series is shaking things up.
According to GameSpot, the Halo Showtime series will premiere sometime in Q1 2021.
