Following the first look at Paramount+'s Halo live-action show, who is the actor who plays Master Chief? Microsoft and Bungie's now-iconic video game franchise has been around since 2001, and it didn't take long for Hollywood to become interested in adapting it. After multiple failed attempts to make a Halo movie, a live-action TV show was announced to be in development at Showtime in 2013. The show went through plenty of creative changes as it figured out how to properly bring the fight between the UNSC and The Covenant to life, including finding a new home at Paramount+.
The incredible popularity of Halo and the ongoing success of the video game franchise has made the show a highly anticipated piece of content. Like most Halo content, the series will focus its story around Master Chief. The Spartan commander is also known as John-117, and he's become one of the most recognizable video game characters of all time. This put pressure on Halo to find the right person to play Master Chief, especially after Steve Downes' voice became so synonymous with the character.
The first look at Master Chief in the Halo show gives fans a great look at the iconic Spartan armor, but it doesn't show the actor who is playing John-117. There is a brief tease of the scars on his back, but that's it. The man responsible for playing Master Chief in Halo is actor Pablo Schreiber. The Canadian actor has had a busy acting career over the last several years. His TV experience includes a supporting role on Apple+ TV's Defending Jacob, as well as recurring roles on Orange Is The New Black and American Gods as Mad Sweeney. But, Halo is Pablo Schrieber's first major leading role. Schrieber also has experience with bigger-budget films and action-heavy roles through 13 Hours, Skyscraper, and Den of Thieves.
Outside of the confirmation that Pablo Schreiber is Master Chief in Halo, not much else is known about how the show will bring the iconic character to life. It isn't known what stage in Master Chief's military career the series is set or if it will balance showing multiple points in time to highlight John-117's origin and current whereabouts. Based on the armor reveal, fans know he'll look almost identical to the games. However, it has been teased that Halo will change Master Chief as a result of showing a new side of him that the mechanics of the games don't allow. What exactly the show is changing about Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief is unknown, but any differences could be made to give Halo's star a chance to do more with the character.
Since Master Chief is almost always shown wearing his Spartan armor in the Halo franchise, taking the same approach for the show would mean hiding Pablo Schreiber underneath the suit all the time. While this wouldn't be the worst outcome for the show, it would require Schreiber's performance to come entirely through his vocals and physical presence. Pedro Pascal and the team behind Din Djarin in The Mandalorian have found success in creating a compelling character whose face is predominantly hidden, but even it started to show Pascal's face more over time. Pablo Schreiber's Master Chief could follow a similar trajectory as Halo tries to give its lead actor a better chance to shine.