Summary
It has been over 25 years since the very firstFalloutgame was released. Since then, the series has been expanded by many more games, establishing a rich post-apocalyptic world packed to the brim with complex lore. When adapting theFalloutfranchise for TV, the production team was faced with the difficult task of effectively portraying that rich world in only eight episodes. The result is an original story that pays tribute to many of the things fans love aboutFalloutwhile also expanding and enhancing the setting in key ways.
Game Rant sat down with executive producers Jonathan Nolan, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Graham Wagner to discuss the process of adaptingFalloutfrom a video game into a television series. The team discussed which elements ofFalloutlorewere crucial to include, what they unfortunately had to leave out, and what it was like crafting real-life versions of the iconic Vault sets.
The Show Expands On Fallout Lore But Leaves Much Open For Future Seasons
Graham Wagner, a showrunner and executive producer, discussed his excitement at being able to include some lore elements and setting expansions not featured in the video game series. In particular, Wagner was excited that the show could explore what America looked like prior to the life-changing nuclear war. These explorations, he explained, were primarily carried out through the character ofCooper Howard (Walton Goggins), who was an actor before becoming the mutated Ghoul.
I think one of the things we’re most excited to include that is part of the lore of the world, but not a big part of the gameplay, is pre-war America…We were always interested in that, but you can kind of understand why they didn’t do much more than they have. Because it’s a shooting game, ultimately, and there’s just not that much running around and shooting before the bombs drop. But there is intrigue there.
However, both Wagner and Geneva Robertson-Dworet acknowledged that there were manyFalloutlore, plot, and setting elementsthat they could not include. “There’s just too much treasure in 25 years ofFalloutgames,” Robertson-Dworet said. The team had frequent discussions about what to include and what to remove, especially as they were given only eight episodes to work with. “We’re praying for a second season,” she concluded with a hope-filled smile.
An Original Story Is Combined With Iconic Settings Like The Vaults
Executive producer Jonathan Nolan, who also directed several episodes of the series, revealed that getting to tell anoriginalFalloutstorywas a dream come true for him. He loves that the show gets to add to theFalloutmythos while also drawing on the 25 years of series history that came before it. Summarizing his thoughts on the adaptation, Nolan said: “You get to stand on the shoulders of giants in terms of the world building, all the beautiful art, props, designs, and storytelling, but also get to add your own chapter to that story.”
Of course, it wouldn’t be aFalloutstory withoutthe Vaults, massive underground bunkers built by the Vault-Tec corporation. Nolan was pleased with the production team’s decision to create an elaborate multi-story Vault set, rather than limiting themselves to individual hallways. EvenFalloutcreator Todd Howard was pleased with the Vault sets, Nolan revealed, stating that Howard had appreciated the accuracy of the design down to “the patina on the wall.” When asked if he himself liked the set, Nolan’s response was beyond exuberant. “From the cosmic to the microscopic, [the production team, led by Howard Cummings] crushed it.“Falloutfans will get to watch the show’s characters explore both the crowded Vaults and the massive, threatening Wasteland when the series premieres on Amazon Prime.
Fallout
Fallout is a franchise built around a series of RPGs set in a post-nuclear world, in which great vaults have been built to shelter parts of humankind. There are six main games, various spin-offs, tabletop games, and a TV series from Amazon Studios.
