When the Halo TV series debuted its first trailer in January, one of the biggest changes from the source material was the design of Cortana. Master Chief’s AI partner, Cortana’s design is more grounded in reality when compared to her video game appearances. In a recent interview, executive producer and head of transmedia at developer 343 Industries Kiki Wolfkill explained how the world of the Halo TV series resulted in Cortana’s redesign.
“It’s so funny because we change her design for every game. And a lot of that is driven by technology,” Wolfkill said to GamesRadar. “A lot of the design changes as we progressed through the game generations was because we had access to better graphics, technology, more pixels, and more effects. And so it’s always been about adapting Cortana to the environment. In this situation, it’s so very different from the games in that she has to feel real. And by that, I don’t mean feel like a real human. She has to feel like a real AI, a real hologram, and be a character that real people are acting against. That was really the impetus in designing her–how do we make her feel very tangible in this Halo world?”
Beyond the visual makeover, the Halo TV series’ version of Cortana still has a strong link to her origins primarily thanks to the fact that Jen Taylor–who has portrayed Cortana since 2001’s Halo: Combat Evolved–reprised her role for the show. Taylor is curious to see how Cortana is seen in the series and has asked fans to keep a more open mind.
Halo premieres on Paramount Plus on March 24, and in case you missed it, a new trailer for the show has recently been uploaded. The series–which has its own canon known as the “Silver Timeline” that’s separate from the continuity of the games–already has a second season greenlit by Paramount. Featuring Pablo Schreiber as the body–and face–of Master Chief, Halo also stars Natascha McElhone, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, and Natasha Culzac.
Source: Gamespot
