Master Chief actor Pablo Schreiber and the other Spartan cast members celebrate the start of filming on Halo season 2 in a new photo. The iconic Bungie video game finally ended its long road to getting a live-action Hollywood adaptation in early 2022. The highly anticipated Halo TV series debuted on Paramount+ and was met with mixed reviews. Through the nine-episode first season, viewers got to meet Schreiber's version of Master Chief, also known as John-117. Halo proved to be slightly controversial for how much Master Chief was shown without his helmet, as well as for other creative decisions made for the story.The divisive nature of Halo did not stop the show from becoming a success, which was good news for Paramount+ since it renewed the video game series for a second season before the premiere. It is under new leadership as David Wiener is Halo season 2's showrunner following the departures of Kyle Killen and Steven Kane during season 1's production. Wiener is now in charge of picking up the story threads dangling after the Halo season 1 ending, which left the show positioned to explore major events like finding the Halo Ring. For that reason, there has been a lot of interest in seeing where Halo season 2 goes.Production is now officially underway on Halo season 2, as Paramount+ confirmed that filming started in Iceland today. The announcement includes a photo of Vannak-134 actor Bentley Kalu, Kai-125 actress Kate Kennedy, Schreiber, and Riz-028 actress Natasha Culzac. The Halo season 2 image unites Master Chief and his Spartan squad mates as they prepare to embark on filming another season. Additionally, Joseph Morgan (The Vampire Diaries) and Cristina Rodlo have joined the cast as James Ackerson and Talia Perez, respectively. Ackerson is "a formidable intelligence operative who has spent his career climbing the ranks of the UNSC’s secretive Office of Naval Intelligence," while Perez is "a corporal specializing in linguistics for a UNSC Marine Corp communications unit and a relatively new recruit who has yet to see any real combat."
Halo season 2 starting filming this soon after the first season ended is not too surprising. Schreiber previously confirmed that the plan was for the second season to begin production this summer. Iceland was not one of Halo season 1's filming locations, though, which could be an indication of some new terrain Master Chief and the Spartans will explore next. Halo could now be aiming to further explore the sci-fi universe's fantastical world on a deeper level. Due to the divisive nature of the first season, the show's producers previously confirmed they were looking hard at audience feedback to determine how to make Halo season 2 better.
Now that Halo season 2 has started filming and brought Master Chief and the Spartans back together, audiences can start to look ahead to when the series will return on Paramount+. Filming season 1 was met with several complications, including COVID-19 shutdowns, but hopefully, season 2 will be a much smoother production all the way around. That should help make it possible for Halo season 2 to release on Paramount+ sometime in late 2023, assuming there are months of filming ahead. With new locations and cast members on the way, Halo season 2 can perhaps redeem the series in longtime fans' eyes.
Source: Halo & Paramount+