Halo showrunner Steven Kane reveals why he’s not returning for a possible second season, explaining that he wants to spend more time with his family.
Halo showrunner Steven Kane explains why he made the decision to leave the show after just one season. Based on the popular video game franchise of the same name, Halo, the upcoming series from Paramount+, is about humanity’s war with the alien Covenant in the 26th century. Although several live-action Halo projects have been released before, including: Halo: Nightfallthe new series marks the largest and most expensive Halo adaptation to date and is the first to focus entirely on the iconic Master Chief as the central character.
The Halo series has had a somewhat arduous development path, with the series first being announced in 2013 with Steven Spielberg in production. Originally given the go-ahead on Showtime in 2018, the series eventually lost its director and executive producer Rupert Wyatt before finally finding a home on Paramount+ in 2021. Showrunner Kyle Killen left the project before production actually began and was replaced by Kane. , who oversaw the remainder of production season one. After years of anticipation and a rocky road of development, Halo series is finally set to release in March, having recently unveiled its first full trailer.
Speaking at the 2022 Television Critics Association Halo presentation, Kane spoke of his decision not to return if the show gets a second season. While he seems to have enjoyed his time making the series, Kane explains that it simply took him away from his family for too long. Watch Kane’s full commentary below:
“I never thought it would be more than one season just because of the amount of work it takes. It’s a very challenging show to write and produce.
So I came in and redeveloped and worked out and did my job, but it can’t be done remotely. So out of the three years I worked on it, I was in Hungary for almost two years. As much as I enjoyed every minute of it, it’s a long time to be away from my family. My kids were in their final years of high school and so I didn’t want to leave.
While making Halo will be a career highlight for me, I knew I could really only do it for one season. The folks at Showtime and Paramount+ were kind enough to allow me to finish post-production on season one here in LA, which I’m still doing until we air it. And the show looks great.
And if, when, there’s a second season, I’m going to step back and confer and be available to the new people. A new team comes in with a fresh look to pick up where I left off, which I think is pretty good for the show. Just to bring in new people. It’s such a big world that it takes 10 times more work and energy than a normal show.”
It is not yet clear whether Halo is getting a second season, but it doesn’t sound like Kane will wash his hands of the show at all. While he may want to spend more time with his family, Kane made it clear that he would be happy to act as an advisor to anyone who takes his place if the show continues for another season. Halo may have had an arduous development journey, but Kane’s comments suggest that his decision to leave is about the opportunity to spend more time with family and not issues he had with the actual production of the show.
Given the large scale of the Halo games and the rich knowledge surrounding them, it’s no surprise that making just one season has turned out to be such an exhausting task. Featuring futuristic military technology, space travel and aliens, the show undoubtedly involved copious amounts of hands-on effects and CGI to bring it all to life, something Kane would have had to coordinate and oversee. With all the time, money and effort put into it Halo, Paramount+ probably hopes the show will be popular enough for a second season. If so, it sounds like Kane is happy to offer his expertise from a less practical position. Halo begins streaming on Paramount+ on March 24.
Source: TCA
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