The upcoming Halo TV show has cast Jen Taylor as Cortana. Halo will be based on the eponymous video game, which follows Master Chief Spartan John-117 as he's thrown into an interstellar war. The series was greenlit by Showtime in 2018, and finally started production in late 2019.
While many Halo details remain a mystery, the show is slowly starting to come together. For example, many of Halo's central characters have now been cast. Pablo Schreiber will appear as the iconic Master Chief. In addition, Bokeem Woodbine will portray Soren-066, while Yerin Ha will play Quan Ah, a character who was developed specifically for the show. Halo is scheduled to have an initial 10 episodes, and will make its long-awaited Showtime debut in 2021.
IGN reports that Taylor, who originally voiced Cortana in the Halo video games, has been cast as the AI. Taylor is set to replace actress Natascha McElhone, who has to bow out of the role due to scheduling difficulties. While McElhone will continue to portray Dr. Catherine Halsey, Taylor will snag the part of Cortana herself.
The character of Cortana is a "smart" AI who is created by Dr. Catherine Halsey in the year 2549. Cortana is noted as being incredibly powerful, even by smart AI standards. She is also an important player in the Human-Covenant War, and becomes Master Chief's partner near the end of the war. Despite her extraordinary tactical abilities, Cortana is witty, sarcastic, and deeply loyal. As such, Cortana is arguably one of the most popular characters in the Halo games. To that end, it's a particularly nice touch that Taylor will now bring the beloved AI to life. Taylor's voice acting helped Cortana connect with a generation of fans, and it will be great to see her as the AI in Showtime's Halo.
Halo has faced an uphill battle thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For one, director M.J. Bassett had to step back from the show, citing scheduling conflicts due to COVID delays. Luckily, it seems that Halo is now back on track. Although production was halted earlier this year due to the pandemic, Schreiber confirmed via Instagram that filming has once again resumed. What's more, Schreiber has kept fans updated about his fitness and conditioning routines, implying that he's prepared to jump back into action. All in all, Halo has faced one challenge after another. However, despite a global pandemic and casting shake-ups, it seems that Halo is more than ready to hit the ground running.
Source: IGN