The first trailer and poster has been released for Halo season 2 ahead of its return to Paramount+ on February 8 with a two-episode premiere. It's drawn a mostly positive response thus far, with many fans of the hit video game franchise arguing that it looks like a major improvement over the show's first batch of episodes.
When Halo returns, we'll pick up with Master Chief John-117 (Pablo Schreiber) as he leads his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. In the wake of a shocking event on a desolate planet, John cannot shake the feeling that his war is about to change and risks everything to prove what no one else will believe – that the Covenant is preparing to attack humanity’s greatest stronghold.
With the galaxy on the brink, John embarks on a journey to find the key to humankind’s salvation, or its extinction: the Halo.
Led by showrunner and executive producer David Wiener (Brave New World), the series takes place in the universe that first debuted in 2001 with the launch of Xbox’s first Halo game in 2001. Dramatizing an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant, Paramount+ says the series "weaves deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future."
The first season drew a mostly positive response from critics, though its Audience Score - 52% - stands in stark contrast to the 70% it received from reviews.
Halo stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as Master Chief, Spartan-117 and Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Halsey, who also both serve as producers this season.
Additional returning cast members include Jen Taylor (Halo), Bokeem Woodbine (Fargo), Shabana Azmi (Fire), Natasha Culzac (The Witcher), Olive Gray (Half Moon Investigations), Yerin Ha (Reef Break), Bentley Kalu (Avengers: Age of Ultron), Kate Kennedy (Catastrophe), Charlie Murphy (Peaky Blinders), and Danny Sapani (Penny Dreadful). Fiona O'Shaughnessy (The Forgiven) and Tylan Bailey will also return as series regulars in season two.
Some new additions to the cast have also been confirmed today; those include Joseph Morgan (The Originals), Cristina Rodlo (No One Gets Out of Here Alive) and Christina Bennington (Midsomer Murders).
Halo is produced by Showtime in association with 343 Industries and Amblin Television. The second season is executive produced by David Wiener alongside Steven Spielberg, Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey for Amblin Television. Kiki Wolfkill serves as executive producer for Xbox/343 Industries with Otto Bathurst and Toby Leslie for One Big Picture and Gian Paolo Varani.
You can take a look at the first Halo season 2 poster and trailer below (via GameFragger.com).