'Halo' Courtesy of Paramount+

'Halo' Courtesy of Paramount+

Video game adaptations still have something of a checkered history, especially on the big screen. But with recent successes such as ‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ and ‘Mortal Kombat’, they’re attracting more attention.

After a failed attempt at a movie, game sensation ‘Halo’ was picked up by Paramount Plus as a high-profile TV series, and the latest trailer for the show dropped during the AFC Conference Championship game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs.

‘Halo’ as a series will take place in the universe launched in the original game, which first appeared on the Xbox in 2001. It has since expanded into a variety of other venues, including books, audio series, and more.

The setting is an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, where our best weapon is the augmented soldiers known as the Spartans of Silver Team. Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) is the best of the best. With years of active-duty service, he has become one of the most decorated war veterans in the United Nations Space Command and is a loyal soldier – not least because his commanders can control him when needed.

Yet when Master Chief encounters a mysterious artifact that the Covenant have been seeking, it appears to have an impact on him, and he starts to behave differently.

Oh, and in case you’re wondering what the Halos of the title are? They’re a network of colossal ring-shaped super-weapons, which would no doubt come in handy in a conflict like this…

In terms of how the show will fit in with the games, it’s apparently being considered as its own canon. According to producer Kiki Wolfkill, who has worked on a producer on the games and oversees adaptations, it’s for the good of both stories. “We're referring to this as the Halo Silver Timeline as a way of differentiating it from core canon,” Wolfkill said in a twitter video. “In both protecting core canon and protecting the television story, and by that, I mean being able to give ourselves the chance to evolve both and for both to be what they need to be for their mediums without colliding with each other.”

There will be one big link, however: Jen Taylor is taking the role of Master Chief’s Smart AI Cortana, reprising the virtual character having voiced it since the original game. The series cast also includes Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Charlie Murphy, and Danny Sapani.

The series comes from showrunners Steven Kane, Kyle Killen, though Killen left the series and Kane has said he won’t return if a second season happens, so we’re hoping that’s not a bad sign. On the directing front, ‘His Dark Materials’ veteran Otto Bathurst handled the first two episodes, with Jonathan Liebesman, Roel Reiné and Jessica Lowrey handling the others.

‘Halo’ will start exclusively on Paramount+ on March 24.