Halo team says season 2 will be a "reset" and is "far stronger" than the previous chapter

Halo star Pablo Schreiber says season 2 will be much darker than its predecessor – and he believes it's much more effective.

"The tonal shift just feels so much more appropriate for the franchise," Schreiber tells SFX magazine in the new issue, which features Halo season 2 on the cover. "It's darker, it's more dangerous, all of the stunt and action sequences put you into the battle and inside the fighting. To me, it's a much more effective way to deal with the show. I think [David Wiener, Halo's new showrunner] is just a more gifted writer, to be quite frank. I think his dialogue is better. He puts words in the mouth that feel more appropriate for the character."

Per the official synopsis, Halo season 2 sees Master Chief John-117 (Schreiber) lead his team of elite Spartans against the alien threat known as the Covenant. John will risk everything to prove what no one else will believe – that the Covenant is preparing to attack humanity's greatest stronghold.

"There's no question the second season is far stronger than the first," he continues. "I will stake my reputation on that. It's absolutely improved. The art director who came on board, James Foster, is fantastic. He created a visual world that just makes a lot more sense. It's so beautiful, incredibly cinematic. And the dialogue is better. It's just a better season, period."

The cast includes Natascha McElhone, Jen Taylor, Bokeem Woodbine, Shabana Azmi, Natasha Culzac, Olive Gray, Yerin Ha, Bentley Kalu, Kate Kennedy, Charlie Murphy, Danny Sapani, Tylan Bailey, and Fiona O'Shaughnessy. Newcomers this season include Joseph Morgan, Cristina Rodlo, and Christina Bennington. Brave New World's David Wiener serves as this season's showrunner, taking over for Steven Kane.

"I don't want to say a soft reboot, but there was intent to reset the state of the world," Kiki Wolfkill, one of Halo's executive producers and the head of property expansion at Microsoft, tells SFX. "It was a goal to do a few things. One was really to start to shift tonally to a place that was a little more grounded and grittier, but still with the big spectacle of Halo and sci-fi."

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The first two episodes of Halo season 2 are set to hit Paramount Plus on February 8, with the rest airing weekly. The above is just a snippet of our interview, available in the latest issue of SFX magazine, which features Halo season 2 on the cover and is available on newsstands from Wednesday, January 24. For even more from SFX, sign up for the newsletter, sending all the latest exclusives straight to your inbox.