EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video’s series adaptation of worldwide bestselling game franchise Fallout, from Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy’s Kilter Films, is coming together. Nolan is set to direct the premiere of the series, which is slated to begin production in 2022. Geneva Robertson-Dworet (Captain Marvel) and Graham Wagner (Silicon Valley) have come aboard as showrunners.
The world of Fallout is one where the future envisioned by Americans in the late 1940s explodes upon itself through a nuclear war in 2077. The magic of the Fallout world is the harshness of the wasteland set against the previous generation’s utopian idea of a better world through nuclear energy. It is serious and harsh in tone, yet sprinkled with moments of ironic humor.
Fallout, the TV series, is from Amazon Studios and Kilter Films in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks, with executive producers Nolan, Joy and Athena Wickham for Kilter Films; Todd Howard for Bethesda Game Studios’ and James Altman for Bethesda Softworks.
The Fallout franchise has posted record sales and received dozens of Game of the Year awards, while its mobile game, Fallout Shelter, has been downloaded more than 170 million times.
Following months of dealmaking, Amazon Studios in summer 2020 licensed the rights to the games for Nolan and Joy to develop a TV adaptation under their big overall deal with the streamer and handed the project a series commitment. The announcement was accompanied by an “Easter egg” video teasing the project. (You can watch it below the story.)
“Fallout is one of the greatest game series of all time,” Joy and Nolan said at the time. “Each chapter of this insanely imaginative story has cost us countless hours we could have spent with family and friends. So we’re incredibly excited to partner with Todd Howard and the rest of the brilliant lunatics at Bethesda to bring this massive, subversive, and darkly funny universe to life with Amazon Studios.”
This is a rare directing gig for Nolan, who made his directorial debut with an episode of the CBS series Person of Interest, which he created and executive produced. He went on to direct the pilot of HBO’s Westworld, which he co-created and executive produces with Joy, as well as the Season 1 finale and Season 3 premiere of the acclaimed series, slated to return for Season 4 this year.
Robertson-Dworet co-wrote Captain Marvel and the 2018 Tomb Raider. Wagner served as executive producer on Portlandia and co-executive producer on Silicon Valley and Baskets.
#PleaseStandBy. @Fallout @BethesdaStudios #KilterFilms pic.twitter.com/IEDr7AkVvD
— Amazon Studios (@AmazonStudios) July 2, 2020
