At the crowded geek conclave known as Comic-Con in San Diego, Calif., Microsoft and 343 Industries introduced the full trailer for their upcoming promotional film based on the adventures of Master Chief. Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn is a five-episode live-action series starring a young ensemble cast. The first episode will launch on the Machinima Prime YouTube channel and on Halo Waypoint beginning October 5.
Forward Unto Dawn tells the story of a group of United Nations Space Command cadets who are training to become soldiers in the war against the Covenant (it’s set before the Chief took care of all that business). The boot-camp facility comes under attack, which gives the cadre of beautiful people a chance to act tough and shoot things.
Sorority Row filmmaker Stewart Hendler directed Forward Unto Dawn based on the script penned by Smallville alums Todd and Aaron Helbing. It stars a plethora of young up-and-coming actors who have had roles in The Twilight Saga (Daniel Cudmore as the Master Chief), Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Mike Dopud), and Dance Academy (Tom Green).
The Halo franchise isn’t new to elaborate prerelease marketing campaigns. Los Angeles-based Stan Winston Studio and New Deal Studios built the gigantic Halo 3 Believe diorama to promote that game’s release, which resulted in an amazing TV spot.
Microsoft will release Halo 4 for the Xbox 360 worldwide on November 6.