Halo composer Marty O’Donnell has responded to the long-running rumours that Tom Cruise almost voiced Master Chief in Halo 2.
Halo 2 was released in 2004, following the blockbuster success of the 2001 original. In 2024, Master Chief voice actor Steve Downes claimed that Tom Cruise was originally in talks to star in the video game sequel alongside Julia Roberts.
In a new interview with GameInformer, Halo composer and voice director Marty O’Donnell confirms that he had a “short” conversation with someone who represented Cruise and Roberts about bringing them into the game. “Tom Cruise was already a Bungie fan, believe it or not. He had played Myth, so this wasn’t the first time we’d heard about Tom Cruise.” But the conversation was basically their agent saying “we should make this deal to get Tom Cruise to be Master Chief, and Julia Roberts to be Cortana in Halo 2.”
“I knew that would have ruined everything,” said O’Donnell. “I know game fans are not necessarily blown away by big stars, they’re blown away by solid gameplay and emotionally compelling stories.”
“I would have had a blast working with Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts and if I could have done that to begin with, maybe that could have been cool – but there was no way that I could replace Jen Taylor and Steve Downes, because the fans already had a relationship with those voices,” he continued. “It was never really in the cards to be considered. It’s just a fun story [but] it never went any further than that one conversation.”
Taylor and Downes will return to the world of Halo for the remastered Halo: Campaign Evolved, which launches July 28.
Halo: Campaign Evolved will feature “expanded gameplay, two-player split-screen on consoles, online and networked co-op for up to four players on console and PC, and seamless cross-platform play with shared progression.” According to game developers Halo Studios, “it will be the definitive return trip through one of gaming’s greatest journeys.”
“The original Halo: Combat Evolved is a stalwart of gaming history, a cultural icon that helped define the first-person shooter experience,” they continued in a press release. “For Halo Studios, bottling the impact of that original campaign and all of its special moments is the ultimate goal – for new players and long-time fans alike.”
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