Aranya Doloi
read
Getting Halo turned into a TV show was no easy task; the journey has been a long and fraught one. But it seems Showtime is actually going to pull it off as they’ve just announced some of the casting for Steven Spielberg’s long awaited Halo series. And to your delight, you’ll see an Indian face in what Showtime has describes as its “most ambitious series ever”.
Shabana Azmi has signed Spielberg’s 9 part web series Halo directed by Otto Bathurst. The acclaimed Indian actress is set to play the role of Margaret Parangosky, the head of the Office of Naval Intelligence in the web series version of the most popular video game franchises in the world. A visibly pleased Azmi was quoted saying, “It can’t get bigger than this! Asian actors have been fighting for colour blind casting for years… finally it’s become a reality! This is completely new territory for me – I’m both excited and nervous which is a good place to be in”.
Further Natascha McElhone, Bookem Woodbine, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy will join Pablo Schreiber in the TV series. It was announced earlier in April that Schreiber will play the iconic Master Chief’s role, while McElhone will play Cortana, the most advanced AI in human history who may be the key to the survival of the human race. Emmy nominee Woodbine plays the role of Soren-066, a morally complex privateer at the fringes of civilization and finally, Bentley Kalu, Natasha Culzac and Kate Kennedy will play the role of the three Spartan soldiers created for the series.
Despite its many years of development, nothing much is revealed about what the show will focus on in terms of plot or how dedicated it will be to following the story of the games. All we know is the web series, produced by Steven Spielberg will dramatize the conflict between humanity and an alien race known as the Covenant in the 26th century. Halo’s production is set to begin in Budapest later this year.
