Upcoming Halo TV Show May Be Politics Heavy And “Won’t Please Everyone” Says Producer
Drew Taylor
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Recently, IGN held an interview between Deborah Snyder and Kiki Wolfkill, where Wolfkill shed some light on the new Halo TV series.
Wolfkill is 343 Industres’s director of Halo transmedia, as well as a producer on the upcoming Paramount Plus show, set to debut in 2022.
In the IGN interview, Wolfkill points out that there are differences in the game and the television show as in the Halo games, the adventure was played out solely through the lens of the Master Chief, whereas with the TV show, 343 Industries feels there is more of an opportunity to widen the franchise and look at more characters and plot points.
However, Wolf also acknowledged that the steps that Microsoft is taking with the Halo TV show “may not please everyone.
This type of statement can be alarming in today’s climate, as fans of huge science fiction franchises like Star Wars and Star Trek have seen their beloved IP’s transformed into nothing more than woke propaganda vehicles with barely a shred of the franchise’s original spirit.
Related: 343 Industries’ Chris Lee Explains Halo Infinite Delay
In a podcast interview back in 2019, Wolfkill said that the Halo show is aiming to be similar to Game of Thrones.
“A lot of the background of Halo is this sort of political drama. It’s something that is touched on really lightly in the games and you see more of in some of the other mediums,” she said. “Some of that [Game of Thrones style] complexity is interesting.”
There’s two ways Wolfkill’s statements can be taken. If the Halo TV series is heavily involved in the fictional politics of its own world, it could work. Fans need to look no further than The Expanse to see politics in a fictional setting done in such a way that it adds a compelling layer to the story.
However, if the statement is to be taken in the literal sense, it could could mean that the Halo TV show will be heavy on current real world political themes, which is an instant turnoff.
Back to the IGN interview, Wolfkill said it has been a “very long journey” to making the Halo TV show.
The show has been in various stages of production for years, and it faced a setback recently when production was paused due to the pandemic. Filming has since restarted in Budapest under certain health and safety protocols, with Wolfkill noting, “We’re making progress. It feels good. We got a bunch of shooting done this winter in this post-COVID protocol world.”
She would also speak about the challenge of expanding the Halo universe beyond what current fans may be comfortable with, telling IGN, “It’s such an interesting needle to thread with beloved characters.”
“How do you give a different perspective on them, how do you make their journey meaningful in a different way while respecting their past journey and the things that people love about the journeys they’ve been on already,” she added.
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Continuing, Wolfkill stated, “It’s a constant challenge; sometimes a struggle. There’s different burdens that will go onto the TV show than the game carries. So if we can navigate where we have a little bit of freedom to try and explore some different ideas or express a character differently, we try and take those.”
Speaking of the Halo fanbase, she added, “It’s amazing to have these dedicated fanbases and communities. But it’s also hard because there are so many diverse perspectives. At some point, you can’t satisfy all the voices. You need to have your own voice.”
Wolfkill would go on to say that the show’s goal is to tell a story that fans will enjoy, without invalidating their feelings about the games. “The hope is you can play the game and you can have this sense of who this character is, and you can love that, and then you can stop and put that aside and enjoy this other experience and get taken on a different journey,” she said.
What do you make of Kiki Wolfkill’s statements? Is this spin for woke Halo or could this show be a hidden gem like The Expanse? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.
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