Only Way It Works is if There are No Spartans, Only ODSTs

The journey to get a live-action Halo adaptation was an incredibly long and difficult one. However, in 2022, we finally got Paramount’s Halo show, and fans of the iconic franchise couldn’t be more happy.

The Halo TV show was met with a divisive reception from both fans and critics. Things got so terrible that it was canned after just two seasons. However, there’s still hope for the franchise as new rumors suggest that Christopher Nolan, the acclaimed director behind Oppenheimer and The Dark Knight Trilogy, wants to take on the Halo universe.

If Nolan takes things to the next level and gives us a full-blown Halo movie, it will only work if it abandons Spartans in favor of ODSTs.

Christopher Nolan’s Halo Movie Can’t Work Without ODSTs

If Christopher Nolan‘s Halo movie rumors are true, an ODST-centric plot is what should be pursued to stay faithful to the franchise and avoid the same disaster as the disastrous TV show.

Throughout his career, Nolan has always relied on realism and grounded narratives, even though they can sometimes be larger-than-life settings. Spartans and their incredible abilities do not simply align with his liking for characters who come with their flaws and human natures.

Christopher Nolan Reportedly Interested In Purchasing ‘Halo’ TV Series Rights
byu/StarFuryG7 insciencefiction

ODSTs, on the other hand, are simple soldiers. They’ve always been shoved into the harshest conditions, which makes their struggles and victories against the galaxy’s threats even more relatable. They serve as a perfect force for Nolan’s style of storytelling and narrative.

Nolan’s highly rated Dunkirk could serve as a blueprint for how a Halo movie centered around ODSTs could come to fruition. In Dunkirk, Nolan perfectly recreated a war event from various angles, showcasing the chaos and desperation. An ODST story could be recreated with the same idea and showcase the destruction brought upon by Covenant’s invasion of earth.

What’s great about following Dunkirk is that it didn’t have a central protagonist and puts the spotlight on soldiers and civilians. This approach could work very well for ODSTs as well since they’re just regular soldiers and not superhumans like Spartans.

Halo Franchise is Picking itself Once Again

The failure of the Halo TV show wasn’t the only problem for the IP. In the last couple of years, the franchise hasn’t been popular in the industry, and that’s to be blamed on the gaming side of things. 343 Industries’ takeover of the IP messed things up as it wasn’t able to give what Bungie delivered with the original trilogy.

However, Microsoft is preparing to go into recovery mode. Right at the end of the 2024 Halo World Championship, it was revealed that 343 was renaming itself to Halo Studios. What was even more shocking was the news that all the games in the franchise will now be developed on Unreal Engine.

The transition to Unreal Engine will enable the development team to craft experiences that gamers have been craving. The Unreal Engine brings many advanced sets of technologies that can go a long way in enhancing a game.

With Nolan’s plans to nab the IP’s TV rights and a change in direction for Halo games, the franchise might finally hit the mark once again for fans.

With that said, what would you like to see Nolan bringing to a Halo movie? Let us know in the comments below.