- Amazon has released the first images from the upcoming Prime Video adaptation of Fallout.
- The series comes from Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan and tells a story of survival set 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse.
- There has been a long history of video game adaptations and the Fallout series must learn from their successes and failures in order to find the winning formula.
In an increasingly competitive streaming landscape, Amazon’s Prime Video has brought in the big guns in recent years with TV adaptations including The Boys, The Wheel of Time, Jack Reacher and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The next big new arrival from the streaming service is Fallout, a TV series based on one of the most beloved video game franchises out there.
First look at Prime Video’s Fallout series
On November 28, 2023, the first images from the upcoming Fallout series were released, showing off several of its key characters and elements such as the iconic Power Armor and the Brotherhood of Steel’s aircraft.
The series has been developed by Westworld co-creators Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan – the brother of Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan – and will star Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins and Kyle MacLachlan as members of its main cast.
Fallout will tell an original story set within the world of the video game franchise. Set 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse has devasted humanity, the series follows the gentle inhabitants of luxury fallout shelters who emerge from their underground havens into a deadly and irradiated hellscape where a complex, violent and strangely retro society has risen from the ashes.
The Fallout series will premiere on Prime Video on Friday, April 12, 2024.
7 video game adaptations Amazon’s Fallout needs to learn from
There has been a long and storied history of film and TV adaptations of video games and to say that the results have been mixed would be an understatement.
However, the various adaptations that have arrived over the years have all provided numerous lessons that the Fallout series needs to learn from in order to succeed.
The Last of Us
Released back in January, the HBO adaptation of The Last of Us was lauded as one of the best TV series of 2023 in only the first month of the year. The series lends much of its success to how faithfully it adapted its source material, closely following the narrative of the original video game.
For newcomers, the series was a revelation and for video game fans, it was fascinating to see how each key scene would translate into live-action courtesy of the spellbinding pair of Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Where The Last of Us arguably triumphed the most, however, was where showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann deviated from what came before, notably the Bill-focused episode 3.
To that end, the Fallout series must allow itself the ability to tell its own story without getting too fixated on paying homage to what came before. Thankfully, in that regard, the Prime Video adaptation is telling its own story rather than directly remaking an existing game.
The Super Mario Bro Movie (2023)
The 2023 Super Mario Bros Movie became one of the highest-grossing films of the year for a reason.
While the casting of Chris Pratt as Mario continues to raise eyebrows, the movie’s joyous animation style cannot be questioned as it instantly captured the hearts of millions and directly harkened back to the video games so many fans adore.
As a result, it’s vital that Amazon gets the look of the Fallout series just right and the first images, particularly those of the instantly recognizable Power Armor and vault suits, show that the early signs are promising.
Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
On a similar note, 2020’s Sonic the Hedgehog movie may have won plenty of praise and kickstarted a franchise upon its release but there was initial hesitation surrounding the film thanks to the original design for Sonic himself.
Following an outspoken fan campaign, Paramount delayed the movie so that the design of the titular hedgehog could be altered and made to look more akin to his video game counterpart.
This goes to show that no one loves a video game franchise more than its fans. As such, if any questions pop up surrounding the direction of the Fallout series, it could prove beneficial to listen to their views.
Arcane: League of Legends
The Netflix series Arcane: League of Legends appeared seemingly out of nowhere in 2021 to become one of the best video game-inspired series ever as it delivered stunning and unique animation, a compelling story and boasted an incredible voice cast.
Among Arcane’s cast is Ella Purnell who just so happens to be playing a main character in the Fallout series too, so it’s already off to a good start.
On top of that, the Arcane series was a true passion project six years in the making. Fallout’s four-year journey to our screens hasn’t been quite as arduous, but hopefully, the creators have given the series enough time to gestate in order to deliver something truly explosive.
Tomb Raider (2018)
The 2018 adaptation of Tomb Raider may not have set the world alight upon its release, but it did earn the highest-ever rating for a video game movie on Rotten Tomatoes at the time – albeit a meager 53%, which has since been surpassed by several projects.
One of the biggest criticisms surrounding the action-adventure movie was that aside from an impressive performance from Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander, many of the film’s supporting cast melted into the background and were easily forgettable.
Fallout, on the other hand, is known for the wide array of weird, wonderful, and above all, memorable characters players meet on their journey. It’s therefore imperative that the series allows its supporting cast the chance to shine and leave their mark on viewers.
Halo
The Paramount+ Halo series immediately drew criticism from fans for the way it made widespread changes from the source material, most notably by having the Master Chief – one of the most iconic and beloved video game characters in history – remove his helmet throughout the show and get a bit too up close and personal with the series’ villain, Makee.
While we may have praised The Last of Us for deviating from its source material, it did so while remaining faithful to how the characters were originally portrayed and expanded on certain elements of their story.
Halo, on the other hand, completely abandons the way in which its main character appeared in the video games which is something that Fallout must avoid. Although, something that stands the series in good stead is that it’s expected to tell its own story with new characters, rather than stepping on the toes of previously-seen characters.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Despite its infamous launch, Cyberpunk 2077 has earned plenty of praise in the years since for creating one of the most jaw-dropping and atmospheric worlds in gaming.
Part of that success has to be attributed to the superb music that helped to transport players into a futuristic dystopia, whether that’s the original score or songs that can be heard on car radios.
This is something that the Netflix anime, Edgerunners, arguably improves upon as it boasts a killer soundtrack.
In the case of Fallout, music remains just as important thanks to its retro 1950s aesthetic which the Prime Video adaptation must stay faithful to in order to win over existing fans.
- ALSO ON PRIME VIDEO: 9 must-see movies and TV shows added to Amazon Prime Video this week
The Fallout TV series stomps its way onto Prime Video on April 12, 2024.
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