Halo: Nightfall

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Template:Film Infobox

"Survival is a choice."

— Official tagline

Halo: Nightfall is an upcoming live-action Xbox Originals webseries for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, and other Microsoft devices to be released in 2014. Consisting of five episodes, the series is to be created by Scott Free Productions in conjunction with 343 Industries. Acclaimed filmmaker Ridley Scott has been confirmed as the show's executive producer along with Scott Free TV President David Zucker; it will be directed by television director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan. In the series, "A strange and treacherous world exposes elite UNSC operatives to a much deeper danger."

Serving as an origin story for Agent Locke, a secondary playable character in Halo 5: Guardians, Nightfall will connect the stories of Halo 4 and Guardians. and will have narrative connections to Halo: The Television Series. The series will also incorporate interactive features with the upcoming Halo Channel application for Xbox One. Viewers can complete challenges related to the series to unlock features that can be used in Halo games. Each episode has several challenges and "Second Story" videos that expand on events that were not shown in the series. Additionally, viewers can access the Halo Channel's new "Halo Encyclopedia" to gain information on characters, locations, weapons, and vehicles that are featured in Halo: Nightfall.

Synopsis

The series takes place between the events of Halo 4 and Halo 5: Guardians. An Office of Naval Intelligence unit, led by Lieutenant Commander Jameson Locke, is deployed on the distant human Outer Colony of Sedra to investigate terrorist activity. Sedra is described as a backwater world harboring a disdain for the Unified Earth Government and the UNSC. During their investigation, a Sedran city is attacked by Sangheili terrorists and it is discovered that they are trying to use a biological weapon that only affects humans. Locke's team is forced to work together with Sedran Colonial Guard commander Randall Aiken and his troops to track down the origin of the bioweapon. During their search, the unit is drawn to a perilous alien artifact: a partially functioning section of Installation 04, the Halo ringworld destroyed by the Master Chief in the first Halo game. The Halo fragment has begun to orbit in close proximity to a red giant. When the fragment rotates in its orbit, its habitable side undergoes extreme heat that is too unbearable for any human when the habitable side is facing the sun. The fragment's environment only experiences survivable temperatures during the sixteen hours when the habitable side is facing away from the sun, forcing the team to complete their mission within this timeframe. A grave threat present on the ancient construct soon turns the mission into a desperate fight for survival.

Production

Conceptual exploration of the Halo fragment which forms the primary setting of Nightfall.

The series will have a $10,000,000 (USD) budget, which is considerably larger than Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn's. 343 Industries also considers the series' scope to be larger and more ambitious than that of Forward Unto Dawn in terms of the characters' interaction with one another as well as their environment, and less time will be spent with the characters in relative safety than in Forward Unto Dawn. The series' driving dynamic is noted as being the ONI operatives' tension with the inhabitants of Sedra when the two are forced to work together in the face of a common threat. Producer Ridley Scott was quick to accept the project when it was first pitched to him as video game tie-in media was still relatively unknown ground to him.

The name Nightfall refers to the circumstances of the main characters' mission aboard the Halo fragment: they are forced to complete their mission in the sixteen hours the fragment's habitable side remains in the "night" side of the star it orbits. The concept of having the main portion of the plot be set on a dying fragment of Alpha Halo came in around halfway to the script's writing process. Director Sergio Mimica-Gezzan wanted the principal setting to act as a "character" in itself that would drive the plot dynamics as well as evolve and change over the course of the story. The idea of having the setting be a fragment of a Halo was initially conceived by Jeremy Patenaude of 343 Industries' franchise team. The team then further refined the concept by deciding which one of the rings the Halo in question would be and how could its nature and location as given in the Nightfall story work in the broader fictional context. The franchise team put consideration into the size and shape of the fragment (including a "forensic analysis" of Installation 04's destruction scene in Halo: Combat Evolved) as well as the logistics of moving the fragment into a different system; the concept of Halos being equipped with an emergency slipspace capability which would place them in a destructive orbit was first introduced in Greg Bear's novel Halo: Primordium.

The first official trailer was released on July 24th, 2014, at San Diego Comic-Con, which stated that Locke's team was tracking down reports of an element that specifically targeted humans on the distant colony of Sedra.

Filming and effects

Nightfall was filmed in Iceland and Ireland. Filming in Belfast, Northern Ireland was reported to have started by early June 2014 and finished as of June 12, 2014, being subsequently continued in Iceland. The scenes set on the colony of Sedra were filmed in Ireland, while Iceland is used to portray the locales of the Halo fragment. Iceland was considered an ideal filming location for the Halo due to the otherworldly and rugged landscapes present there.

The cast and crew faced many difficulties due to the challenging weather conditions of Iceland. While the environment is meant to be uncomfortably hot in the series, the actual temperature was often below freezing as Iceland was experiencing the coldest recorded weather in some time in addition to frequent strong winds and rainstorms. To create the illusion of a hot environment, the cast had fake sweat applied on them which would rapidly freeze, becoming highly uncomfortable for the actors. Cast members falling over was also an everyday occurrence. Due to the hardships they faced the cast and crew would play games, place bets on falling on screen or nominate a "chief of morale" among them to keep their spirits high.

Cast and characters

On May 15, 2014, it was announced that actor Mike Colter is set to star in the feature. Colter will play the main character, Jameson Locke, "a rising star in a futuristic army with reservations about those in command". Locke was known tentatively as "Marlowe" during production. On July 10, 2014, it was announced that actress Christina Chong would play the series' female lead. She will play Talitha Macer, a member of the Sedran Colonial Guard. Many of the roles in the series were rather physically demanding and there was a focus on the actors' fitness and athleticism in the casting process; however, it was noted that some of the cast still had difficulties with these aspects during filming.

• Mike Colter as Jameson Locke
• Christina Chong as Talitha Macer
• Steven Waddington as Randall Aiken
• Luke Neal as Michael Bradley Horrigan
• Alexander Bhat as Alistair Bov Estrin
• Alexis Rodney as Arris Le
• Christian Contreras as Gregory Aio Ramos
• Eric Kofi Abrefa as Haisal Wari
• Jennie Gruner as Samantha Wisner
• Sarah Armstrong as Jordan Gaines
• Shaun Blaney as Mason Hundley

Costumes and props

The Condor transport craft, known tentatively as the "Super Pelican", was created for the series as a Sedran equivalent to the UNSC's more modern dropships. A life-size set was created to portray the craft. The main characters are wearing armor that has been noted by Frank O'Connor as having been developed in Seongnam (the site of the UNSC's Special Warfare Center) and incorporating elements and technology from MJOLNIR, ODST and UNSC Marine armors.

Trailers

Halo: Nightfall First Look

Main article: Halo: Nightfall: First Look

The Halo: Nightfall First Look trailer outlines the premise of the Nightfall story. It was first shown at San Diego Comic-Con 2014.

Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes

Main article: Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes

First shown at PAX Prime 2014, the Halo: Nightfall Behind-the-Scenes feature focuses on the main setting of the story, the fragment of Installation 04.

Halo: Nightfall In Cinema First Look

Main article: Halo: Nightfall In Cinema First Look

Released on October 20, 2014, Halo Nightfall In Cinema First Look is a behind-the-scenes video featuring previously-unseen footage as well as commentary by the cast and developers. It also shows the first glimpse into the principal threat in Nightfall.

Appearances

Characters Randall Aiken (First appearance) Arris Le (First appearance) Alistair Estrin (First appearance) Jordan Gaines (First appearance) Haisal Wari (First appearance) Michael Horrigan (First appearance) Mason Hundley (First appearance) Jameson Locke Talitha Macer (First appearance) Gregory Ramos (First appearance) Samantha Wisner (First appearance) Species Forerunner (Technology only) Human Sangheili Organizations Unified Earth Government United Nations Space Command UNSC Navy Office of Naval Intelligence Colonial Militia Sedran Colonial Guard (First appearance) Locations Installation 04 Sedra (First appearance)

Weapons BR85HB battle rifle M395 DMR M6H magnum MA5D assault rifle Type-1 energy sword Vehicles Condor (First appearance) D79-TC Pelican Type-25 Spirit Technology Dog tag ODST armor Weapon attachments Flashlight Sangheili combat harness Zealot harness

Gallery

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  Halo: Nightfall first poster

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  Promotional poster for Halo: Nightfall.

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  Agent Locke, portrayed by Mike Colter.

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  Locke, along with two soldiers.

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  Promotional image of Locke's team.

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  First image of the Condor vehicle.

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  The barren landscape of the Alpha Halo fragment.

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  The group crossing a river on the Halo fragment.

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  The group on a cliff aboard the Halo section.

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  The main cast on a hill.

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  Ramos wielding an M395 DMR.

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  Macer, Wisner, Aiken and Locke.

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  Locke and Macer taking cover.

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  Horrigan taking aim with an MA5D assault rifle.

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  Arris Le.

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  Hundley and Gaines in a Sedran city.

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  Wisner and Horrigan.

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  Estrin and Arris.

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  A Sangheili Zealot attacking.

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  A falling Sangheili Zealot wielding an unknown device above a human crowd

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  An unknown shape-shifter.

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  Locke watches a Spirit dropship.