Something to look forward to: Few Halo characters are as beloved as Halo's Cortana: Master Chief's ever-present, wisecracking AI companion, brought to life by phenomenal voice actress Jen Taylor. However, her talent won't be restricted to the video game realm – due to a scheduling issue with the Halo TV series' previous Cortana actress, Taylor will be stepping in to take over.
This news, which comes courtesy of IGN, is extremely exciting for Halo fans like myself. Taylor is a legend in the gaming industry, and given her years of experience playing this character, it's only natural that she would do so again for Halo's live-action debut.
She's portrayed Cortana in every single Halo game to do date – her voice is so tightly intertwined into the DNA of the franchise that Microsoft couldn't (easily) replace her even if they wanted to.
We're a bit confused as to why Taylor wasn't Showtime's (the company behind the Halo TV series) first pick, but perhaps it felt that voice acting skills won't necessarily translate to physical acting skills. The reverse is certainly true, as we've seen time and time again with poorly-done celebrity cameos in AAA video games.
Unfortunately, this good news aside, we don't have any further details for you regarding the Halo TV series' launch date. All we know is that it's being directed by Otto Bathurst (of Black Mirror fame), and it's being produced in collaboration with Halo developers 343 Industries.
While we wait for more details regarding a release date, we'd love to hear your thoughts on this news in the comments. Do you agree with Showtime's casting decision, or do you think the original actress – Natascha McElhone – would've done a better job?
Middle image credit: IGN