Post by thatguy on Feb 19, 2015 14:56:33 GMT
No, this is not a Machinima. In fact, it's only a concept. However, there is no other good place I can put this thread so I will be sticking it in the Machinima one until a better section arrives.
*This thread is a work-in-progress and will be updated many times before completion.
"There was an idea. An idea that humanity was failing; the colonies rising up against oppression, civil wars breaking the links that so many countless generations had tried to build. There was an idea for a solution. We build our solution. From blood and sweat and hardmanship. The ORION programme was that idea. And you are what is left; what will become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. You will be the best we can make you. You will be our SPARTANs." - Dr Catherine Halsey to the SPARTAN candidates.
The poster above was created by the talented CSutherland.
HALO: RISE AND FALL is a fictional film concept, adapted on the the video game HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED and the books HALO: FALL OF REACH and HALO: THE FLOOD. All properties belong to Microsoft Inc.
THE FILM, SUMMED UP QUICKLY is a story about the Master Chief, a super-soldier equipped for war. The story is how he acquired his name. Born on a quiet planet and kidnapped by a secret government organisation, John was put through many years of combat training and received experimental drugs to boost his capabilities. He befriended his fellow candidates and was a star pupil in the eyes of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who mentored the project (nicknamed the SPARTAN programme). They were able to quell human rebellion but they did not count on something disastrous; the emergence of a galactic foe.
The Covenant, a union of religiously motivated aliens far above humanity's technological capabilities, was attacking all of their colonies. The SPARTANs, first created to keep order in the empire were tasked with destroying the Covenant. One by one they fell until only one SPARTAN was left; Sierra 117. With the hugely important human fortress-world, Reach, in flames, John escaped on the fleeing ship The Pillar of Autumn, following the coordinates of an ancient artifact. Awaking from cryo-status, he had forgotten his past life and is confused. The Pillar of Autumn had found something far more sinister; Halo. What was locked inside there would change the course of the war forever. Now under attack by the Covenant on Halo, the SPARTAN must use his wits and his small team of soldiers to unlock the doorways to the past but also save the future from a deeper, darker threat.
CASTING CALL:
Sierra John 117 - Steve Downes
Steve should reprise his role as the Master Chief for many reasons. His voice has become too iconic for it not to be included and even if he may not be a top class actor, he can still act as shown in Halo 4. He doesn't have to have the physique of wearing the MJOLNIR armour as all of his lines could be added in post-production, just like how they were added in the video games. A much taller, fiercer man (no offence to Steve) should play the man in the armour. He has a special connection to the franchise and no voice can fill his shoes.
Cortana - Jen Taylor
Jen Taylor has a special connection to the role of Cortana and for the right reasons; she is perfect for the role. Similar to Steve she is almost impossible to replace, but someone will have to play the physical role of Cortana, almost in the exact same way that Cortana was created in the video games. Her role in the film is not that larger than what she has to do in the games, contrary to Steve, who would have to a lot more work than he usually does.
Captain Jacob Keyes - George Clooney
Come on, whoever DOESN'T think that George Clooney was born for the role of Captain Keyes is blind or someone who is better at casting actors than I am. Keyes was a very hardy fellow and everyone could look up to him which makes Clooney a very good candidate for the role. Not only is Jacob well-voiced and tactical but also a father-figure for John, as he was for the most part that kind of person to him. George would make an excellent Jacob Keyes.
Sergeant Avery Johnson - Denzel Washington
Denzel's a legend. He's a great actor for one and can fit into different roles easily, but he's also quite an authoritative figure. Sergeant Johnson was quite a gung-ho person but always was on John's side, and if John needed a friend, he would have to be played by Denzel Washington. Johnson would appear more in Rise and Fall as he actually has a longer-stretching relationship than at the beginning of CE, they met at the Fall of Reach, a pivotal moment in 117's life. Sadly, the fantastic voice of David Scully cannot be used as I believe Denzel could play the physical role. While some could argue that Samuel L. Jackson could play the part, I agree; he could. However, Samuel is a bit too obvious a choice who has played too many similar roles and may not fit too well into the shoes of Johnson, while Washington hasn't been in many other films like this before.
PO George Soult - Simon Pegg
Now, please wait. Don't spring off your chair and punch your monitor in the face. Listen. CE was a great game, even if it was made by copying and pasting the 3 same corridors in different orders. However, it lacked a major thing; characters. There was Johnson who only really existed for 5 minutes at the start of the game and in a flashback, and Keyes, who Stacker did a bit of voice acting because they needed some last-minute exposition. For the film to work, you need exciting, interesting characters. Simon Pegg, the legend he is, can seriously act but also is a very entertaining lad. Adding some diversity with the accents couldn't hurt and Americans seem to love the English accent. They haven't met Al Murray, however. Ford is a character that doesn't exist in the Halo universe and because of this I can be a bit more liberal with his personality and history. It wouldn't be the first time Simon's been in a sci-fi film, however. He played a character in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies. Simon Pegg also has great chemistry with . . .
PO Sam Ford - Nick Frost
Do I need to explain myself? The two of these lads work well together on the camera and in a film filled with guts, blood, gore, the Flood, aliens, weapons of mass destruction, depressing deaths, you must have some form of light-hearted dialogue for contrast. These two characters will have a big impact on the film, as when you meet them, they're playing a card game casually, chatting about nonsense and both being rather gleeful. The film will end with George crying and Ford almost dead. Contrast is a great tool to use in film making, even with the limited knowledge I have. Frost is a legend, too.
CO Antonio Silva - Christian Bale
Batman? Playing a minor character? Yes, this is true. Silva doesn't play a very massive role in the film, but we really get to know him at the end of the second act and the beginning of the third, since he and his colleague (McKay, if you hadn't read The Flood) have a fond distaste of SPARTANs. He presents some of the most important morals that change Chief's mind about his destiny, and if Christian Bale wanted to play a meaningful role, it would be that of Silva's. In the film he is good friends with Johnson and Keyes, and has watched John grow up from an early age. The SPARTAN had actually killed two of his ODSTs and put two in serious conditions, paralyzing them. However, his mind is changed when John single-handedly saves his outpost from an army of Flood and the Covenant, also saving Johnson in the process. He goes to take the Truth and Reconcilliation where a malfunction purposely put by Hugh kills the entire platoon.
Lieutenant Melissa McKay - Elizabeth Olsen
Alright, this one's a bit iffy. I know Olsen can act well and would work well in the role of McKay, who plays a minor role in this film. She disagrees with Silva and there is quite a bit of conflict between the two of them. In the climax of their arc, McKay tries to shoot Silva on the bridge of the Truth and Reconciliation before they are both engulfed in a massive explosion put there by Hugh Markins. I don't know enough good actors to cast the perfect role, but I think she would do good job playing this role. She could play a serious role, surely, but there may be a better actress out there.
THE SPARTANS
The following are all the actors playing the SPARTANs that would fit the role the best. Since there are so many, I will go through them moderately quickly as most reasoning for their casting is relative.
Linda - Sandra Bullock
Sandra CAN act, despite the films she has featured in. Unlike some actresses, she has a very mature voice that would fit the role for John's closest friend (in Rise and Fall) and who unfortunately meets her end at the end of the film. Don't worry, we'll get to that.
Fred - Bradley Cooper
This 3-times Oscar-nominated actor is fantastic in whatever role you can throw at him. Given he will be playing the young Fred (in his 20s) the age gap between him and Steve Downes would not come into play. Even though they play rather silent roles, the delivery of lines is important.
Kelly - Cate Blanchett
Alright, this one is pushing it slightly. Cate is a fantastic actress, and Kelly in Rise and Fall is possibly the most quiet SPARTAN, even around her friends. The quiet and non-funny tone of most of her roles gives her the opportunity to play this character fantastically well.
Kurt - Lee Pace
Kurt acts as the oldest brother and the leader for the SPARTANs for the most part, before is (unfortunate) death*. Lee Pace as a tall, authoritative figure, being a role model for John and Fred, would work well in his favour, as his acting skills could use some work. I'm gesturing to how lifeless Ronan was.
James - Chris Pratt
A very friendly and funny figure, James serves as possibly the most light-hearted of the SPARTANs, eventually being the reason why John makes the ultimate decision at the end of the film. His wit but surprising wisdom comes to use to the team and Chris Pratt, being the amazing lad he is, would fit very well into that role.
Sam - Idris Elba
John's first friend and the first SPARTAN to die, Sam was possibly the tallest and strongest candidate of the program and the powerfully-voiced Idris Elba could portray Sam very well.
Joshua - Paul Bettany
The pilot and the smartest of the SPARTANs, Paul would play well. However, knowing he can manipulate his voice quite well, Joshua would be played with a Hungarian accent, as they grew up on Reach. It would be later revealed that a family he had to shoot in an Insurrectionist sting operation was in fact possibly his own, the one he was kidnapped from many years earlier.
Zephyr - Chris Pine
Zephyr, a character that doesn't exist in the canon and created purely for the film, would be the one SPARTAN to betray the fold and side with Colonel James Ackerson at the battle of Circumference to put down arms. He would later be killed by Jurak Kuramee as well as most of the other SPARTANs.
Will - Matt Damon
Fred's best friend and the second-in-command of the SPARTANs, after Kurt's death at the start of Act 2. Matt Damon being a good actor could represent a SPARTAN well to show how cold they are. Will was not the most quiet of the group but neither was the most loud. He would die after being impaled with an Energy Sword through the back at the Battle of Circumference before bleeding out in Fred's arms.
The rest of the roles in the film would be filled by more-obscure actors that could be anyone in particular.
The film is divided into 3 acts as any good film should be, but also into "somns" (derived from somnium, Latin for dream, which is what the Master Chief does for the entire film) which build the story. The more and more (necessary) detail I add into the story, the more I realise this film will be more than two hours long.
SOMN 1
Introduce Captain Jacob Keyes, Sergeant Avery Johnson, Silva, Sam Ford, George Soult, John, Linda, Kelly, Fred, Will, Zephyr, Joshua, James, Kurt, Sam and Cortana. Pillar of Autumn is attacked, John suffers from large amounts of amnesia and does not recognise Keyes. He is told it should take around 24 hours for him to regain full memory and knowing his memory before hand would have drastic consequences on his mental health. Cortana, a dormant AI, is handed for safekeeping to John, and Keyes needs to fly the ship manually. They discover an ancient super-structure similar to Ringworld and the ship is boarded by alien soldiers. John still knows how to fight and Silva & Johnson drop down in ODST HEVs. The SPARTAN escapes in a lifeboat with Ford, Soult and a handful of Marines. Keyes is ambushed in the bridge by a cloaked Sangheilli soldier.
SOMN 2
John remembers his father, telling him about Earth. He leaves suddenly and the child becomes very sad. He talks to his friend, Parissa, who seems calm about it. On a school bus they are taken hostage by a group of Freedom Fighters, threatening to put a bullet through the childrens' heads. A firefight ensues after a group of soldiers ambush the Freedom Fighters. John, back home, runs away and gets stuck under a fallen tree. His mother, following him, helps him become free and takes him home. While upstairs, his mother is confronted by three men in dark suits. Later, he opens his eyes in a much different home and the same man guides him through an empty field.
SOMN 3
The life boat comes hurtling down onto the ring and crashes. Everyone survives the crash. As soon as John leaves the vehicle a Jackal jumps him and it takes the entire group to kill it. They take a moment to marvel the landscape and try to communicate with the Pillar of Autumn. No one replies. John decides to scout ahead through a dense forest but is followed by Soult and Ford. They run into each other and John learns that the marines were ambushed by the Covenant soldiers. They walk for some time and John gets more flashbacks.
SOMN 4
John is walking through an empty long corridor and many rooms surround him. They each have one bed and are also empty. He tries to push through the end door and it opens for him. An auditorium awaits him with a large amount of children sitting in comfortable seats. The woman is Dr. Catherine Halsey. She talks about the SPARTAN programme and two guards shut the door behind them. Most of her speech is muffled and the vision is as well since this is an early part in John's life. He asks Halsey where he is and she replies after a while, "home". All the children are guided through a tunnel and guards with guns escort them to a field. They begin running. A flashback (in a flashback, I know) shows her waking up out of cryo-tube and Jacob Keyes escorting her to the bridge. The ship is a rotating ring attached to a massive hull. Keyes and her talk and a chemistry builds up between them. They land in a dry dock and Halsey's true intentions are unknown as of yet. They enter a bustling bar, similar to Mos Eisley's and talk to a man at the bar who lets them inside to a room with a single child sitting on a chair. Catherine talks to him while Keyes waits outside. A montage-esque sequence takes place as Catherine recruits more children without Keyes' knowing otherwise. It ends with John fighting his friends on a mud hill and Halsey and Keyes talking about him. Keyes finally figures out what's been happening and confronts her in CASTLE BASE.
SOMN 5
John, Soult and Ford climb a hill and see a Forerunner facility. When entering it, they meet Sergeant Johnson. They are glad to see each other, but John does not recognise him. They talk about his amnesia and rally their troops, deciding on what their plan of action is. They know that the structure is not Covenant in origin but they have a different task. Trying to re-purpose the energy beam in the structure, they get a radio transmission from Silva, who is setting up base some miles away. They begin to pack up to move locations and Johnson and his team scout ahead. This is when a Spirit flies over the structure and John knows exactly where it is heading.
SOMN 6
A running montage shows John growing up. He tries to ask questions to Jacob Keyes, who appears to be teaching them, but he never answers them. He stops asking the questions. There is a final training exercise, where they are put in teams to fetch a bag of food. John, Linda and Sam are put in a team and talk to each other briefly before beginning the task. After deciding to work together they complete it in second place. They complete more training exercises until they are handed a gun and some refuse to fire it. They are not seen again. John cries at night but another child sneaks in to comfort him. James and John plan to escape, along with Fhajad.
SOMN 7
John runs to Johnson's location and finds a firefight emerging between the Covenant and Johnson's forces and tries to help. Before he can do anything most are taken prisoner and flown away on the Spirit. John, angrily, returns to the base and tells the news to the remaining soldiers. They suddenly hear a radio transmission from McKay telling them that Captain Keyes has been captured by the Covenant. He clutches Cortana's dormant AI chip, still confused about her purpose. A lone Pelican prepares to pick them up but a new Covenant force ambushes them. They try to hold them back, lose many men but manage to board the Pelican. The Pelican spots an approaching vessel, the Truth and Reconciliation. John knows his next target.
*This thread is a work-in-progress and will be updated many times before completion.
"There was an idea. An idea that humanity was failing; the colonies rising up against oppression, civil wars breaking the links that so many countless generations had tried to build. There was an idea for a solution. We build our solution. From blood and sweat and hardmanship. The ORION programme was that idea. And you are what is left; what will become the greatest fighting force the world has ever known. You will be the best we can make you. You will be our SPARTANs." - Dr Catherine Halsey to the SPARTAN candidates.
The poster above was created by the talented CSutherland.
HALO: RISE AND FALL is a fictional film concept, adapted on the the video game HALO: COMBAT EVOLVED and the books HALO: FALL OF REACH and HALO: THE FLOOD. All properties belong to Microsoft Inc.
THE FILM, SUMMED UP QUICKLY is a story about the Master Chief, a super-soldier equipped for war. The story is how he acquired his name. Born on a quiet planet and kidnapped by a secret government organisation, John was put through many years of combat training and received experimental drugs to boost his capabilities. He befriended his fellow candidates and was a star pupil in the eyes of Dr. Catherine Halsey, who mentored the project (nicknamed the SPARTAN programme). They were able to quell human rebellion but they did not count on something disastrous; the emergence of a galactic foe.
The Covenant, a union of religiously motivated aliens far above humanity's technological capabilities, was attacking all of their colonies. The SPARTANs, first created to keep order in the empire were tasked with destroying the Covenant. One by one they fell until only one SPARTAN was left; Sierra 117. With the hugely important human fortress-world, Reach, in flames, John escaped on the fleeing ship The Pillar of Autumn, following the coordinates of an ancient artifact. Awaking from cryo-status, he had forgotten his past life and is confused. The Pillar of Autumn had found something far more sinister; Halo. What was locked inside there would change the course of the war forever. Now under attack by the Covenant on Halo, the SPARTAN must use his wits and his small team of soldiers to unlock the doorways to the past but also save the future from a deeper, darker threat.
CASTING CALL:
Sierra John 117 - Steve Downes
Steve should reprise his role as the Master Chief for many reasons. His voice has become too iconic for it not to be included and even if he may not be a top class actor, he can still act as shown in Halo 4. He doesn't have to have the physique of wearing the MJOLNIR armour as all of his lines could be added in post-production, just like how they were added in the video games. A much taller, fiercer man (no offence to Steve) should play the man in the armour. He has a special connection to the franchise and no voice can fill his shoes.
Cortana - Jen Taylor
Jen Taylor has a special connection to the role of Cortana and for the right reasons; she is perfect for the role. Similar to Steve she is almost impossible to replace, but someone will have to play the physical role of Cortana, almost in the exact same way that Cortana was created in the video games. Her role in the film is not that larger than what she has to do in the games, contrary to Steve, who would have to a lot more work than he usually does.
Captain Jacob Keyes - George Clooney
Come on, whoever DOESN'T think that George Clooney was born for the role of Captain Keyes is blind or someone who is better at casting actors than I am. Keyes was a very hardy fellow and everyone could look up to him which makes Clooney a very good candidate for the role. Not only is Jacob well-voiced and tactical but also a father-figure for John, as he was for the most part that kind of person to him. George would make an excellent Jacob Keyes.
Sergeant Avery Johnson - Denzel Washington
Denzel's a legend. He's a great actor for one and can fit into different roles easily, but he's also quite an authoritative figure. Sergeant Johnson was quite a gung-ho person but always was on John's side, and if John needed a friend, he would have to be played by Denzel Washington. Johnson would appear more in Rise and Fall as he actually has a longer-stretching relationship than at the beginning of CE, they met at the Fall of Reach, a pivotal moment in 117's life. Sadly, the fantastic voice of David Scully cannot be used as I believe Denzel could play the physical role. While some could argue that Samuel L. Jackson could play the part, I agree; he could. However, Samuel is a bit too obvious a choice who has played too many similar roles and may not fit too well into the shoes of Johnson, while Washington hasn't been in many other films like this before.
PO George Soult - Simon Pegg
Now, please wait. Don't spring off your chair and punch your monitor in the face. Listen. CE was a great game, even if it was made by copying and pasting the 3 same corridors in different orders. However, it lacked a major thing; characters. There was Johnson who only really existed for 5 minutes at the start of the game and in a flashback, and Keyes, who Stacker did a bit of voice acting because they needed some last-minute exposition. For the film to work, you need exciting, interesting characters. Simon Pegg, the legend he is, can seriously act but also is a very entertaining lad. Adding some diversity with the accents couldn't hurt and Americans seem to love the English accent. They haven't met Al Murray, however. Ford is a character that doesn't exist in the Halo universe and because of this I can be a bit more liberal with his personality and history. It wouldn't be the first time Simon's been in a sci-fi film, however. He played a character in J.J. Abrams' Star Trek movies. Simon Pegg also has great chemistry with . . .
PO Sam Ford - Nick Frost
Do I need to explain myself? The two of these lads work well together on the camera and in a film filled with guts, blood, gore, the Flood, aliens, weapons of mass destruction, depressing deaths, you must have some form of light-hearted dialogue for contrast. These two characters will have a big impact on the film, as when you meet them, they're playing a card game casually, chatting about nonsense and both being rather gleeful. The film will end with George crying and Ford almost dead. Contrast is a great tool to use in film making, even with the limited knowledge I have. Frost is a legend, too.
CO Antonio Silva - Christian Bale
Batman? Playing a minor character? Yes, this is true. Silva doesn't play a very massive role in the film, but we really get to know him at the end of the second act and the beginning of the third, since he and his colleague (McKay, if you hadn't read The Flood) have a fond distaste of SPARTANs. He presents some of the most important morals that change Chief's mind about his destiny, and if Christian Bale wanted to play a meaningful role, it would be that of Silva's. In the film he is good friends with Johnson and Keyes, and has watched John grow up from an early age. The SPARTAN had actually killed two of his ODSTs and put two in serious conditions, paralyzing them. However, his mind is changed when John single-handedly saves his outpost from an army of Flood and the Covenant, also saving Johnson in the process. He goes to take the Truth and Reconcilliation where a malfunction purposely put by Hugh kills the entire platoon.
Lieutenant Melissa McKay - Elizabeth Olsen
Alright, this one's a bit iffy. I know Olsen can act well and would work well in the role of McKay, who plays a minor role in this film. She disagrees with Silva and there is quite a bit of conflict between the two of them. In the climax of their arc, McKay tries to shoot Silva on the bridge of the Truth and Reconciliation before they are both engulfed in a massive explosion put there by Hugh Markins. I don't know enough good actors to cast the perfect role, but I think she would do good job playing this role. She could play a serious role, surely, but there may be a better actress out there.
THE SPARTANS
The following are all the actors playing the SPARTANs that would fit the role the best. Since there are so many, I will go through them moderately quickly as most reasoning for their casting is relative.
Linda - Sandra Bullock
Sandra CAN act, despite the films she has featured in. Unlike some actresses, she has a very mature voice that would fit the role for John's closest friend (in Rise and Fall) and who unfortunately meets her end at the end of the film. Don't worry, we'll get to that.
Fred - Bradley Cooper
This 3-times Oscar-nominated actor is fantastic in whatever role you can throw at him. Given he will be playing the young Fred (in his 20s) the age gap between him and Steve Downes would not come into play. Even though they play rather silent roles, the delivery of lines is important.
Kelly - Cate Blanchett
Alright, this one is pushing it slightly. Cate is a fantastic actress, and Kelly in Rise and Fall is possibly the most quiet SPARTAN, even around her friends. The quiet and non-funny tone of most of her roles gives her the opportunity to play this character fantastically well.
Kurt - Lee Pace
Kurt acts as the oldest brother and the leader for the SPARTANs for the most part, before is (unfortunate) death*. Lee Pace as a tall, authoritative figure, being a role model for John and Fred, would work well in his favour, as his acting skills could use some work. I'm gesturing to how lifeless Ronan was.
James - Chris Pratt
A very friendly and funny figure, James serves as possibly the most light-hearted of the SPARTANs, eventually being the reason why John makes the ultimate decision at the end of the film. His wit but surprising wisdom comes to use to the team and Chris Pratt, being the amazing lad he is, would fit very well into that role.
Sam - Idris Elba
John's first friend and the first SPARTAN to die, Sam was possibly the tallest and strongest candidate of the program and the powerfully-voiced Idris Elba could portray Sam very well.
Joshua - Paul Bettany
The pilot and the smartest of the SPARTANs, Paul would play well. However, knowing he can manipulate his voice quite well, Joshua would be played with a Hungarian accent, as they grew up on Reach. It would be later revealed that a family he had to shoot in an Insurrectionist sting operation was in fact possibly his own, the one he was kidnapped from many years earlier.
Zephyr - Chris Pine
Zephyr, a character that doesn't exist in the canon and created purely for the film, would be the one SPARTAN to betray the fold and side with Colonel James Ackerson at the battle of Circumference to put down arms. He would later be killed by Jurak Kuramee as well as most of the other SPARTANs.
Will - Matt Damon
Fred's best friend and the second-in-command of the SPARTANs, after Kurt's death at the start of Act 2. Matt Damon being a good actor could represent a SPARTAN well to show how cold they are. Will was not the most quiet of the group but neither was the most loud. He would die after being impaled with an Energy Sword through the back at the Battle of Circumference before bleeding out in Fred's arms.
The rest of the roles in the film would be filled by more-obscure actors that could be anyone in particular.
The film is divided into 3 acts as any good film should be, but also into "somns" (derived from somnium, Latin for dream, which is what the Master Chief does for the entire film) which build the story. The more and more (necessary) detail I add into the story, the more I realise this film will be more than two hours long.
SOMN 1
Introduce Captain Jacob Keyes, Sergeant Avery Johnson, Silva, Sam Ford, George Soult, John, Linda, Kelly, Fred, Will, Zephyr, Joshua, James, Kurt, Sam and Cortana. Pillar of Autumn is attacked, John suffers from large amounts of amnesia and does not recognise Keyes. He is told it should take around 24 hours for him to regain full memory and knowing his memory before hand would have drastic consequences on his mental health. Cortana, a dormant AI, is handed for safekeeping to John, and Keyes needs to fly the ship manually. They discover an ancient super-structure similar to Ringworld and the ship is boarded by alien soldiers. John still knows how to fight and Silva & Johnson drop down in ODST HEVs. The SPARTAN escapes in a lifeboat with Ford, Soult and a handful of Marines. Keyes is ambushed in the bridge by a cloaked Sangheilli soldier.
SOMN 2
John remembers his father, telling him about Earth. He leaves suddenly and the child becomes very sad. He talks to his friend, Parissa, who seems calm about it. On a school bus they are taken hostage by a group of Freedom Fighters, threatening to put a bullet through the childrens' heads. A firefight ensues after a group of soldiers ambush the Freedom Fighters. John, back home, runs away and gets stuck under a fallen tree. His mother, following him, helps him become free and takes him home. While upstairs, his mother is confronted by three men in dark suits. Later, he opens his eyes in a much different home and the same man guides him through an empty field.
SOMN 3
The life boat comes hurtling down onto the ring and crashes. Everyone survives the crash. As soon as John leaves the vehicle a Jackal jumps him and it takes the entire group to kill it. They take a moment to marvel the landscape and try to communicate with the Pillar of Autumn. No one replies. John decides to scout ahead through a dense forest but is followed by Soult and Ford. They run into each other and John learns that the marines were ambushed by the Covenant soldiers. They walk for some time and John gets more flashbacks.
SOMN 4
John is walking through an empty long corridor and many rooms surround him. They each have one bed and are also empty. He tries to push through the end door and it opens for him. An auditorium awaits him with a large amount of children sitting in comfortable seats. The woman is Dr. Catherine Halsey. She talks about the SPARTAN programme and two guards shut the door behind them. Most of her speech is muffled and the vision is as well since this is an early part in John's life. He asks Halsey where he is and she replies after a while, "home". All the children are guided through a tunnel and guards with guns escort them to a field. They begin running. A flashback (in a flashback, I know) shows her waking up out of cryo-tube and Jacob Keyes escorting her to the bridge. The ship is a rotating ring attached to a massive hull. Keyes and her talk and a chemistry builds up between them. They land in a dry dock and Halsey's true intentions are unknown as of yet. They enter a bustling bar, similar to Mos Eisley's and talk to a man at the bar who lets them inside to a room with a single child sitting on a chair. Catherine talks to him while Keyes waits outside. A montage-esque sequence takes place as Catherine recruits more children without Keyes' knowing otherwise. It ends with John fighting his friends on a mud hill and Halsey and Keyes talking about him. Keyes finally figures out what's been happening and confronts her in CASTLE BASE.
SOMN 5
John, Soult and Ford climb a hill and see a Forerunner facility. When entering it, they meet Sergeant Johnson. They are glad to see each other, but John does not recognise him. They talk about his amnesia and rally their troops, deciding on what their plan of action is. They know that the structure is not Covenant in origin but they have a different task. Trying to re-purpose the energy beam in the structure, they get a radio transmission from Silva, who is setting up base some miles away. They begin to pack up to move locations and Johnson and his team scout ahead. This is when a Spirit flies over the structure and John knows exactly where it is heading.
SOMN 6
A running montage shows John growing up. He tries to ask questions to Jacob Keyes, who appears to be teaching them, but he never answers them. He stops asking the questions. There is a final training exercise, where they are put in teams to fetch a bag of food. John, Linda and Sam are put in a team and talk to each other briefly before beginning the task. After deciding to work together they complete it in second place. They complete more training exercises until they are handed a gun and some refuse to fire it. They are not seen again. John cries at night but another child sneaks in to comfort him. James and John plan to escape, along with Fhajad.
SOMN 7
John runs to Johnson's location and finds a firefight emerging between the Covenant and Johnson's forces and tries to help. Before he can do anything most are taken prisoner and flown away on the Spirit. John, angrily, returns to the base and tells the news to the remaining soldiers. They suddenly hear a radio transmission from McKay telling them that Captain Keyes has been captured by the Covenant. He clutches Cortana's dormant AI chip, still confused about her purpose. A lone Pelican prepares to pick them up but a new Covenant force ambushes them. They try to hold them back, lose many men but manage to board the Pelican. The Pelican spots an approaching vessel, the Truth and Reconciliation. John knows his next target.
