If HBO’s 2023 smash hit The Last of Us proved anything, it’s that we really can’t get enough of Pedro Pascal. Okay, that’s probably not that surprising: the man is truly everywhere and he seems very nice. No, the really surprising aspect of the show’s success was that it was based on a videogame.
Such adaptations have not usually had much success in their jump to television or film, even when the source material boasts some superior storytelling. Assassin’s Creed, anyone? Did anyone catch the ill-fated Prince of Persia? How about… Gran Turismo? Thought not.
But perhaps television is where these videogame adaptations belong – it’s where many of us first encountered them, after all – and episodic storytelling does seem to let these expansive worlds breathe, stopping the adaptations feeling like a two-hour cut scene.
The latest studio to have a go is Amazon with Fallout, the much-loved videogame franchise which began in 1997, known for its cyber-punk aesthetics and memorable storytelling. But can this adaptation follow in the footsteps of The Last of Us? Here’s everything we know.
What’s going on in ‘Fallout’?
Buckle up, because there’s a lot going on in the Fallout universe (there are four games in the main Fallout franchise and many, many more spin-offs). Here is what is relevant for the TV series.
In an alternative universe, there are rapid advances in nuclear technology post-World War II, leading to a retro futurist world – that’s where Fallout’s evocative visuals come from – and in 2077, a war breaks out over resources which causes mass extinction.
200 years after that apocalypse, and the world is split between the privileged and the... very not privileged (plus ça change, eh?). Our entry point into this world is Lucy (played by Ella Purnell), who has been living in the underground bunkers known as the Vaults, with all her needs taken care of. As we join her, Lucy decides to head up and enter the real world. What awaits her is the stuff of apocalyptic nightmares: weird and wonderful monsters and larger-than-life villains. It’s set in the nuclear wasteland of Los Angeles.
There is a lot that could go right – and obviously, wrong – with this adaptation. Fans of the series will be especially anxious to check out what tone the show is going for. Will it capture the scares – and some of the laughs? The game is known for its open-ended storytelling, and many will be hoping that the series can capture some of that free-spirited appeal. Fallout arrives from Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, which is a good sign: they have experience in building an unfamiliar universe which tells us something about our own.
As Nolan told Vanity Fair: “The games are about the culture of division and haves and have-nots that, unfortunately, have only gotten more and more acute in this country and around the world over the last decades.”
Though we do not know many more details, Todd Howard, executive producer at Bethesda Studios (which created the game) and executive producer on the show, added that the events of the TV series are canon. That is good news for anyone worrying that the adaptation would simplify what made the game great in the first place.
Who’s in ‘Fallout’?
Heading up the cast is Purnell, who you may remember from the first season of Yellowjackets: she certainly has the right combination of wide-eyed charm and grit to carry such a series. Kyle MacLachlan (always nice to see his face!) plays her father. Aaron Moten takes on the role of Maximus, who was raised above ground as part of a military group called the Brotherhood of Steel.
The show’s big bad, the gun-slinging, gross-out Ghoul, is played by the brilliantly-named Walton Goggins. Unlike the other undead monsters that roam the wasteland, he’s known for his smarts.
Is there a trailer for ‘Fallout?’
Yes, you can catch your first glimpse at the Fallout universe in the trailer above. It certainly looks like the show is making the most of its Amazon budget, with sweeping desert landscapes as well as countless imaginatively-designed monsters. And those explosions! Enough to make you take a few seconds out of your day and be thankful for the world around you. The overall tone seems to be a bit scary, a bit squeamish, with a few laughs thrown in. The whole thing could turn out to be absolutely awful, of course, but it certainly looks like it has a personality, which is more than can be said for most of these adaptations. You can also catch your first look at The Ghoul.
When can I watch ‘Fallout’?
Fallout is coming to Amazon Prime Video on 12 April 2024, and there will be eight episodes.
