A few months ago, Prime Video revealed it was getting the ball rolling on a TV adaptation for Mass Effect. For fans, the squadmates of each game are part of the franchiseâs charmâso much that Jennifer Hale, who voiced the female version of Commander Shepard, thinks the show should include them.
Speaking to Eurogamer, Hale said sheâd be down for coming back to reprise Shepard âin any form,â including the fifth game BioWareâs currently making. Both her and fellow Shepard actor Mark Meer rose to voice acting prominence via the original trilogy, and she still holds love for the sci-fi RPG franchise. Her big ask for the show, other than making her Shepard the canonical version? Get her and her fellow voice actors from the games to appear in the show in some capacity. To her, the upcoming series should âpull in as much of the original [Mass Effect] cast through as many cameos, Easter eggs, and recurring or regular [roles] as possible. I think itâd be an absolutely genius move.â
Since last summer, video game voice actors have been striking against triple-A studios like Rockstar and WB Games. Despite their voices being so important to game characters, not every voice actor gets to be featured in their live-action or animated adaptations. Thereâs exceptions like the Last of Usâ leads in the HBO show or Reed Shannon voicing Ekko in Arcane and Legends of Runeterra, but more often than not, itâs bigger names taking on those roles. Hale believes putting the Mass Effect cast in this future adaptation could help highlight a community filled with âsome of the most brilliant performers Iâve ever met,â and whether itâs her or someone else who gets on that show, sheâs ready âfor the smart production company that stops overlooking that gold mine.â
Fortunately for Hale, Mass Effectâs longtime executive producer Mike Gamble will be involved with the show. So if it does end up featuring Shepard and their pals in any capacity, he could help find a way for her and other actors like Brandon Keener (Garrus) or Tricia Helfer (EDI) to be in a scene or lend their voices, even if itâs just to say this is their favorite store in the Citadel.
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