It’s taken a while for Hollywood to truly hit its stride when it comes to video game adaptations. Thankfully though, a number of more recent entries in the genre have managed to strike a chord with hardcore fans and novices alike. One of the most anticipated offerings on the docket – which has been in development for quite some time is Fallout, which is set to be available to Prime Video subscribers. Early photos from the highly anticipated science fiction series dropped days ago and, now, we have the first trailer. The footage shows plenty of post-apocalyptic action as well as glimpses of a badass Walton Goggins. Needless to say, fans of the game should be excited.
As franchise devotees no doubt know (and as can be glimpsed in the trailer above), the Fallout franchise takes place in an alternative timeline in which the world has been ravaged by a nuclear war. This particular story occurs 200 years after the apocalypse began and focuses on a group of people who’ve had the advantages of living in fallout shelters. Though accustomed to their cushy lives, they’re forced to venture through the chaotic and dangerous world they’ve been shielded from. At the center of the piece is a young woman named Lucy, who’s played by Army of the Dead’s Ella Purnell.
The footage is incredibly impressive, as it teases the massive scope of the series. It also looks like fans are going to get their fair share of action and gore. In this trailer alone, we get brief teases of serious armed battles and bouts with mutated animals. It’s also pretty surreal to see Power Armor in a live-action format. And as mentioned, while we see a few characters here, one that truly stands out is Cooper Howard a.k.a. The Ghoul, who is played by the talented Walton Goggins. Though we don't see a lot of him, the scenes we do get are enough to signify that he’s not someone to mess with.
What we know about Fallout is that it was developed by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, who are both most famous for their work on the acclaimed HBO series Westworld. With their latest venture, it’s clear that the two have drawn from the iconography of the lauded prestige series when recreating the vast wastelands glimpsed in the upcoming action drama.
Another exciting behind-the-scenes aspect of the show is that the Bethesda Game Studios (which oversees the IP), Todd Howard, is also on board as an EP. Howard has expressed plenty of enthusiasm over the production, even recently admitting that he wishes the games could take swings like the show, which isn’t adapting a specific game but telling an original story. He also provided an update on Vault Boy, the franchise’s beloved mascot, who is also set to appear in the series. Howard even explained that fans will finally learn of the cheeky little guy’s origins.
It’s early, but it seems fans have a lot to be excited about with this one. If HBO’s The Last of Us (which can be streamed with a Max subscription) proved anything, it’s that a video game property can successfully make the leap to the small screen if the creators have a keen vision. Let’s hope that proves to be the case this time around.
Fallout is set to premiere on Prime Video on April 12 as part of the 2024 TV schedule.
