Cortana's voice actress will reprise role in the Halo TV show - report

Cortana's original voice actress is back for the upcoming Halo series.

Jen Taylor, who plays Master Chief's AI assistant in the Halo games, Cortana, will reprise her role in the upcoming Halo TV show.

The series from Steven Spielberg has been coming for a long, long time. Spielberg revealed his studio Amblin Entertainment were adapting the game for the small screen in 2013 at the Xbox One reveal event. We are now at the launch of a brand new console generation, and still no show.

However, more recently, it seems like the wheels are beginning to pick up speed. The show, which landed at Showtime, has its cast and has been shooting over the last year.

One role has seen a new addition though, and it's a move that is sure to please fans. IGN is reporting that the role of Cortana has been recast, with original voice actress Jen Taylor taking over from Natascha McElhone. The change came about because McElhone was no longer being able to complete the role due to the current pandemic.

McElhone, who was pulling double duty, will remain on the show as Dr. Catherine Halsey, who created the Spartan super soldiers. Taylor, of course, plays both characters in the Halo games.

This change will bring the show a strong connection to the games which have featured Cortana throughout. Taylor has been a mainstay for the entire run of the franchise appearing in Halo 1, 2, 3, Reach, 4, 5.

Beyond the characters involved, Master Chief, Halsey and Cortana, little is known about the plot of the TV show. What we do know is that the first season of the show is going to last nine episodes.

While this production has been in different forms of development for nearly a decade now, it's clear that this show is coming for real this time. For a franchise that has a long history of failed live-action projects, save for a couple of web series, this is encouraging. Now, if we could just get a firm air date.