Video game fans have been safely enjoying the excitement/terror of a post-nuclear wasteland since 1997. That’s when Fallout and its ’50s-era Cold War aesthetic first came to stores. Since then countless sequels and spinoffs have turned the game into one of genre’s most successful franchises. Now Fallout is ready to conquer another medium entirely. It’s getting its very own show from Amazon. What kind of story can gamers expect from the Prime Video Fallout adaptation? Who’s behind it, and who will star in it? And when will we get a chance to see it? (And if you’re looking for the video of Walton Goggins’ transformation in The Ghoul, you can check it out here.)
One thing fans were particularly excited about seeing in the Fallout series were live-action versions of Fallout‘s many unique creatures. One especially important creature from Fallout‘s world is the Deathclaw. But the iconic Deathclaws were noticeably absent in season one of Fallout. The show did make sure to tease they exist though. Here’s what showrunners Graham Wagner and Geneve Robertson-Dworet shared with The Wrap about Deathclaws and their place in the Fallout series. Wagner and Robertson-Dworet noted:
We wanted to get Deathclaws, but we didn’t want to just throw it away. It’s such a monumental piece. We want to save some something for Season 2 to be able to do it properly, not just added on to the massive world building we had to do already in Season 1. So Season 2, we’re very excited to finally tackle one of the most iconic elements of the games.
There’s all the greatest hit things, like the most obvious things that people who aren’t even gamers know about ‘Fallout,’ like Nuka, deathclaws, whatever. There are these things that are just so prevalent and we were tempted to do all of them in Season 1.
But on the other hand, we didn’t want to see the show to seem like it was written by people who just like spent 10 seconds reading the Wikipedia page for ‘Fallout’ and didn’t bother to like bring in some deeper cuts. So it was important to us to also bring deeper cuts into Season 1. Hopefully, that won’t piss off fans because we didn’t get to every last thing, but hopefully, they will bear with us and pray with us that we get a second season to bring these things to the screen.”
Hopefully we’ll get Deathclaws and more, in Fallout season two.
The Fallout series has now released on Prime Video. Here you can find a non-spoilery rundown of everything there is to know about Prime Video’s Fallout series.
Title
Prime Video’s adaptation will share the same name as the original game, Fallout.
Fallout‘s Plot
We officially have our first full look at the Fallout series. Prime Video released the first trailer for the show and it teases a dangerous wasteland of a world. But it’s clear the show understands its dark humor as well.
Prime Video has shared an official Fallout series synopsis, setting us up for what’s to come. It reveals, “Based on one of the greatest video game series of all time, Fallout is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird, and highly violent universe waiting for them.“
Additionally, we know that the series is “set in the future post-apocalyptic Los Angeles.” It will also tell an “original story based on Fallout that will be part of the canon of the games.”
The first image from the show featured a glimpse at the franchise’s all-new Vault 33. And more recent looks have revealed Fallout‘s main characters including Walton Goggins’ The Ghoul, Ella Purnell’s Lucy, Aaron Moten’s Maximus, and Kyle MacLachlan’s Overseer Hank.
There will also be an adorable animal involved. In the Fallout games, a dog called Dogmeat exists as an NPC companion character that accompanies players on their adventures. According to a blog post from Amazon, the live-action Fallout series’ cute canine isn’t called Dogmeat, but instead is named CX404. But this pup, too, will serve “as a companion navigating the post-apocalyptic world.”
Behind the Scenes
Fallout comes from Bethesda Game Studios, Bethesda Softworks, and Kilter Films. The latter is the production company of executive producers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, creators of HBO’s Westworld.
Writers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner will also serve Fallout co-showrunners and executive producers. Nolan directs the first three episodes.
Fallout‘s Cast
The show stars: Ella Purnell (Yellowjackets), Walton Goggins (The Hateful Eight), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Moisés Arias (The King of Staten Island), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Sarita Choudhury (Homeland), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Frances Turner (The Boys), Dave Register (Heightened), Zach Cherry (Severance), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O’Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time).
Fallout‘s Release Date
The Fallout show began its post-apocalyptic adventure on April 11, 2024. All episodes of Fallout released at once.
Originally published on October 23, 2023.