Summary
It didn’t take the success ofThe Last of Usadaptation on HBO to get fans excited for aFalloutTV series, but it didn’t hurt.Falloutfans have been clamoring for an adaptation sinceFallout 3,and since audiences responded well to another dreary post-apocalyptic IP, it improvedFallout’sprospects. Fans know theFalloutfranchise for its superb acting, bleak setting, compelling stories, and fascinating characters. The games are cinematic in their own right, so it only makes sense to adapt it into a TV series.
TheFalloutshow wrapped filming already and is set topremiere on Prime Videosometime in 2024. A tweet from the official Prime Video account announced exciting details that set the TV show apart from its video game counterpart. Fans are rightfully weary when details deviate from the source material, but with Jonathan Nolan at the helm, there’s little doubt that these are necessary changes.
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Amazon’s Fallout Series Won’t Follow the Game’s Story
The most notable details in the tweet revealed that the show’s story would take place in or around Los Angeles, California, along with Vault 33. These are two locations that the game has yet to explore, giving fans something new to look forward to. Fans often disparage it when writers and directors change details from the source material. Still, Fallout games are always standalone entries, following new characters in different regions of the same world. As much as fans think they want a beat-by-beat adaptation, it wouldn’t be as entertaining or intriguing.
Game designer, director, and producer withBethesda Game Studios, Todd Howard, had the right idea when he said in an interview:
It’s not retelling a game’s story. It’s basically an area of the map and like, let’s tell a story here that fits in the world we built and doesn’t break any of the rules. It can reference things in the games, but isn’t a retelling of the games.
The Amazon series is simply following the same pattern as the games by introducing a new character in a different territory of the wasteland. Even having the show partially take place in a vault stays true to the games where the protagonist is typically a vault-dweller who wanders onto the surface for various reasons. The only game that didn’t follow a vault-dweller wasFallout: New Vegas, which the show needs to reference in some way.If the New California Republic doesn’t appear, there will be riots.
Luckily, the series will be faithful to the games, and fans can look forward to seeing the Brotherhood of Steel, deathclaws, Pip-Boys, and ghouls. Don’t fret, a change in the story doesn’t mean it lacks faith in the source material. The Amazon series will stay true to what makes Fallout the series it is.
Fallout is More About Setting and Themes Than Plot
It’s essential for adaptations to capture the essence or soul of the original content. The Last of Us succeeded because it maintained the themes and heart of the game despite some minor changes. Jonathan Nolan and his team are doing the same withFallout’sadaptation. Based on footage from Gamescom 2023, the series maintainsFallout’ssignature aestheticand setting: A post-apocalyptic nuclear wasteland where war never changes.Falloutleans more on its themes to tell its story.
The Amazon series should present recurring themes throughout the show, such as morality. The games allow players to go down dark paths if they so choose. They also do a good job introducing characters who stand out as beacons of hope and prosperity despite coming from an otherwise known malevolent faction. Survival is the most prominent theme, with a throughline in each game that the show should focus on. It’s an unforgiving world where most citizens struggle, but it’s considerably more difficult for a vault-dweller.
With a few exceptions, vault-dwellers have everything they need and aren’t concerned with where their next meal will come from. There are, however, some instances where vault life is just as dangerous as life in the wasteland, which is evident in the Vault 33 promo image where a dead body is visible near the vault’s door. These aspects of the franchise makeFallout, well,Fallout.
There are great characters that would be nice to see in the show, but themain protagonist is a clean slatein every game, and it doesn’t matter who the show follows. It could follow a ghoul from beginning to end, showing the world through the lens of a pariah as long as it nails the setting.Fallout’sgame developers set up such a fascinating world that players look forward to each entry to get a glimpse of different stories in different regions of that world. Part of the fun of each installment in the series is where it will take place and what the new story is.
The Fallout Show Will be a Contrast to The Last of Us
The Last of Uswas more predictable thanFallout’sadaptation will be. While it did take some liberties that surprised many, fans ultimately knew where Joel and Ellie were going, what danger they would run into, and how the season would end.Falloutplayers aren’t as lucky. There will be stakes and unforeseen consequences to a character’s actions. Survival won’t be certain for any character. Cliffhangers will keep everyone from seasonedFalloutfans to casual viewers on the edge of their seats.
Sure, some changes made game fans second guess themselves occasionally, but there wasn’t much tension regarding the two protagonists. That’s not the case in theFalloutseries. Additionally, if there is a second season forFallout, nobody can say if it will follow the same characters or act as an anthology series, following an entirely new cast of characters in a completely different territory.
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