Will The Halo TV Series Be Canon In The Video Game World?

"Halo" fans have waited for years to see the long-gestating TV series, but it's finally on its way. The long-gestating project even had Steven Spielberg attached to produce at one point back in 2013. But fast-forward to 2022, and the "Halo" TV series is set to arrive on Paramount+ in early 2022, with "American Gods" and "Defending Jacob" star Pablo Schreiber leading the cast as supersoldier John-117, aka Master Chief.

Schreiber previously told Entertainment Weekly that the "Halo" series is a "classic hero's journey," and that it takes place "very much in the universe that the video games created, but it's a TV show." He also pointed out that the story will "expand that universe" and teased that "a lot of familiar characters" will show up along the way. This led many fans to assume that the "Halo" TV series might be canon in the video game world.

Since the franchise has continued to flourish in the last few years with "Halo 5: Guardians" and most recently "Halo: Infinite," it seemed like there would be plenty of scope for future seasons. However, recent comments from one of the executive producers on the "Halo" TV series suggest that this isn't the case.

The Halo TV series is completely separate from the video games

Executive producer Kiki Wolfkill recently opened up about where "Halo" takes place in connection to the critically acclaimed games. In a conversation with Halopedia (via Twitter) Wolfkill explained, "We're referring to this as the Halo Silver Timeline as a way of differentiating it from core canon." This means it's completely separate, though it also sounds like it's being done with the best intentions. After all, this doesn't restrict the show from pushing into new territory or cherry-picking from the existing canon in a similar way that Marvel Studios does with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the comics.

Wolfkill went on to say that she hopes to evolve both the "core canon" and the TV series' storylines by protecting both and ensuring that they are "what they need to be for their mediums without colliding with each other."

This should hopefully make things less messy because then there's plenty of dramatic tension that would be lost as some audiences will already know how certain stories play out because of the games. This is definitely a way of making sure the "Halo" series can stand on its own two superpowered feet, rather than bending over backward to service the existing canon. The first trailer gave fans a quick glimpse of what to expect from the project, and it looks action-packed. Hopefully, it won't be long until CBS and Paramount+ reveal when "Halo" will arrive on the streaming service.