First look at Amazon's series adaptation of 'Fallout' video game universe
Game enthusiasts are in for a treat. Set to air in a few months, a series based on the "Fallout" video game saga, which takes place in a world post-nuclear war, is soon to premiere on streaming platforms. The first set of production photos have recently surfaced online, hinting at a promising series.
1:44 PM EST, November 29, 2023
The transition from game to screen can be fraught with uncertainty. Elements that thrive in an interactive gameplay setting do not always fare as well in a non-interactive narrative where viewers have no influence on the unfolding plot. This unpredictable conversion has seen disparate degrees of success over the years.
The HBO series, "The Last of Us," not only became a streaming sensation but a viral topic online. In contrast, "Warcraft: The Beginning" and "Assassin's Creed," both from 2016, were not as warmly received, with respective ratings of 29 and 18 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Furthermore, "The Witcher" series produced by Netflix has had its own set of ups and downs. Yet, original game devotees remain perpetually intrigued by the opportunities and challenges involved in adapting beloved stories for film and television.
What do we know about the "Fallout" series?
The Amazon Prime Video production is set in Los Angeles, a city devastated by nuclear war. We are introduced to our protagonist, Ghoul (Walton Goggins, "The Hateful Eight"), a bounty hunter with an enigmatic past, in Vault 33. Accompanying him are the striving idealist, Lucy (Ella Purnell, "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children"), facing her own set of challenges, and her father, Hank (Kyle MacLachlan, "Twin Peaks"), the supervisor of the vault aiming to establish a new social order. Rounding off the team is the hopeful soldier Maximus (Aaron Moten, "Disjointed"), who firmly believes in the success of executing a peace mission.
The series' showrunners are Geneva Robertson-Dworet, known for her screenplays for "Tomb Raider" and "Captain Marvel," along with Graham Wagner, who has formerly worked on "The Office" and "Silicon Valley." Jonathan Nolan, linked to famous titles such as "The Prestige," "The Dark Knight," and "Interstellar," is on board to direct the initial five episodes. Together with his wife Lisa Joy, Nolan, who has previously penned scripts for "Westworld," also serves as a co-producer.
"Variety" magazine has made the first exclusive series images available online.
A brief about the "Fallout" games
The role-playing game (RPG) "Fallout" was introduced over a quarter of a century ago in 1997. Since then, the franchise expanded with three more primary installments and several spin-offs, the most recent of which debuted in 2018. The forthcoming Amazon Prime Video series will fit into this established narrative, sure to excite the fan base. The story unfolds on the remnants of Earth following a nuclear apocalypse.
The eagerly awaited "Fallout" series is set to premiere on Amazon Prime Video on April 14, 2024.