Halo TV series recasts Cortana with game’s original voice actor

Showtime’s Halo TV series has recast Cortana, bringing in the character’s original voice actor Jen Taylor for the role.

After years of speculation and attempts to get a series or movie based on the beloved gaming franchise off the ground, Showtime are finally making real progress. A 10-episode season is scheduled for release in the first quarter of 2021, with Pablo Schrieber in the lead role.

It was originally announced that Natascha McElholne would play Cortana, the iconic AI that assists Master Chief throughout his missions (and inspired Microsoft’s real-life personal assistant of the same name). McElholne was also cast in a dual role as Cortana’s creator, Dr. Catherine Halsey.

But now, IGN have confirmed that McElhone can no longer complete her scenes as Cortana. As you can probably guess, this is due to complications caused by the ongoing global health crisis. She’s still set to continue in the role of Dr. Halsey, though.

Jen Taylor will reprise her role as Cortana

Cortana will instead now be played by Jen Taylor, who returns to the role she played in Halo 1, 2, 3, Reach, 4, and 5. It’s currently unknown whether Taylor will record live-action scenes for the part, or will be a voice actor for a full CGI portrayal.

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The announcement will no doubt please longtime Halo fans, as it brings some welcome continuity from the games over to the live-action series.

We don’t know the exact plot of the Halo series, but Showtime have explained it will follow “an epic 26th-century conflict between humanity and an alien threat known as the Covenant,” adding, “Halo will weave deeply drawn personal stories with action, adventure and a richly imagined vision of the future.”

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The series is expected to release some point in the first quarter of 2021, so there’s not too long to wait to see Master Chief and Cortana on our screens. In the meantime, you can find everything we know about Showtime’s new Halo series, including casting and plot rumors, right here.