The producer and star of the upcoming Halo series have delved into the decision to bring back original Cortana actress Jen Taylor. Based on the popular video game series of the same name, Halo is set to premiere on Paramount+ on March 24, 2022 after almost a decade in development, where it was originally set up at Showtime. Audiences got their first look at the Halo series in a trailer released during the AFC Championship Game.
The trailer for Halo showcased the epic scope and one of the big reveals of the trailer was the live-action debut of the game's A.I. character Cortana, played by Jen Taylor, who provided the voice for the character in all of the previous Halo video games. Cortana is arguably the series' most important character after Master Chief. The character is so popular, in fact, that Microsoft named its intelligent personal assistant after the her.
Speaking during the Paramount+ TCA event, Halo producer Kiki Wolfkill and Master Chief actor Pablo Schreiber discussed the process of bringing Taylor back as Cortana to the series. The pair said they were originally unsure if they were going to be able to get Taylor for the series given she was working on Halo: Infinite, but the delay caused by COVID-19 helped clear up the schedule. Wolfkill and Schriber discussed how Cortana brings a sense of history to the series, given her long association with the game. They said:
Wolfkill: I mean, Jen Taylor is sort of a magical being, so being able to get her for the show was incredible. I mean, frankly, when we started the show, she was knee-deep in Halo Infinite, in the game. And so, even, you know, seeing if we could get her was something we weren't sure about without disrupting the game schedule, and then with COVID schedule slips everything just fell into place. And so having her, come on board, not just because she's an amazing person on set and feels like a little piece of home for me out there. But bringing her voice and all of the history with that character was I think the most valuable part of it.
Schreiber: Yeah, we got to work together to do a lot of the motion capture stuff and it was wonderful to have her on board because of the continuity, you know, from the game to the screen. So it was great to get to work on all that stuff. You know, obviously chief in Cortana have a very special relationship.
The creators could have brought in another performer to portray Cortana, but casting the iconic star from the video games creates a deeper connection to the source material, and likely earns some goodwill from the fanbase. Casting original voice actors has helped earn fans' trust on major adaptation projects in the past, like bringing back Peter Cullen to voice Optimus Prime in the Transformers films, or Jim Cummings as Winnie the Pooh in Christopher Robin. This is in contrast to the controversial decision Nintendo has found themselves in by casting Chris Pratt as Mario in the upcoming film based on the popular video game.
While the casting of Taylor is a positive one for the series, some fans have already voiced their displeasure with the decision to not have Cortana colored blue like her video game counterpart. This creative decision is a bold one for the series, one that is hoping to span multiple seasons and looking to draw in viewers to subscribe to Paramount+. The combined release of Halo and Cuphead on Netflix in February could kick off a new age of television show adaptations of video games that will likely continue with projects like Mass Effect, Fallout, and The Last of Us, so fans will be hoping that Halo's live-action Cortana, and more, pays off.
Source: Paramount+