If there’s one thing that can’t be taken away from the Halo series, it is the massive production value Paramount secured in order to get Master Chief on streaming, and the latest behind-the-scenes footage from the show certainly highlights that, even with just a glimpse of what went behind making the third episode.
Of course, last week’s “Emergence” started to show Halo’s true potential, but if fans of the games were hesitant about John-117 taking off his helmet in the premiere, this was the occasion that brought them naked Master Chief. The producers and writers behind Halo have already made clear their stance on how they’re tackling the source material, however, Dutch director Roel Reiné had some insight to share after making his debut on the show.
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The behind-the-scenes exclusive focuses mainly on two moments, the first being the bathroom scene where John takes off his emotional inhibitor while fully nude, all with the help of the now ever-present Cortana. The second is the one featuring Makee as a child being abducted by a couple of Covenant Elite from planet Oban. In it, Reiné explains why the mirror scene with Chief and Cortana was filmed in such a way, instead of them facing each other, as well as why it was important to get that first shot of Oban right.
Reiné’s career has mostly seen him focused on horror or thriller movies, yet he’s also worked on Marvel’s Inhumans and The Scorpion King 3. His vision for Makee’s childhood memories does provide some background for the newcomer character. There’s also a hint of fanboyism from him as he proudly shows his Master Chief art and the storyboards for the way he wanted to capture the series’ ships in space.
Makee’s story and Reiné’s instructions for the child actor who played her are quite welcome, especially considering that the addition of characters like her, Kwan Ha Boo and Soren represent some of the biggest changes from the original timeline. That is not counting for TV Halo’s Master Chief, who seems to spend more time with his armor off rather than fully suited up and whose portrayal by Pablo Schreiber rarely resembles the John-117 from the Bungie games, although at least now Cortana’s omnipresence in his head has been established.
It’s good to see directors handling Halo with such care, though that’s hardly surprising after factoring in the reported $10 million per episode Paramount is investing in the show. Keep in mind that, before Halo finishes its first season, Halo Infinite’s much anticipated season 2 update will have dropped, so maybe there will be more reasons to play that and the Master Chief Collection too.
Halo the TV series is currently available on Paramount Plus.
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Source: Paramount Plus | YouTube
