The Fallout TV series finally has a release date. In a tweet, Amazon Prime Video confirmed that the live-action adaptation of the eponymous Bethesda video game franchise will premiere April 12, 2024, exclusively on the streamer. The news comes in celebration of the annual Fallout Day — October 23 — which marks the day when the retro-futuristic in-game world was turned into a nuclear wasteland, causing survivors to scavenge and live off irradiated junk. HBO’s Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are developing the series under their Kilter Films banner — billed as an original story set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles and will be included as Fallout universe canon.
As part of the announcement, Amazon Prime Video dropped a short clip resembling the screen of a Pip-Boy, the fictional wearable computer device from the game, which allows players to manage their inventory, adjust skills, and see the map. For now, it’s unclear how heavily this contraption will be used in the show, considering you need it to activate VATS, an aim-assist technology that lets you target specific vital points on enemies. Similarly, the Fallout series has launched social channels to keep fans updated, though the studio still hasn’t released any footage for public viewing. A brief highlight reel was shown exclusively to attendees during a Starfield presentation, which showed the Brotherhood of Steel military troop trudging along in sync, a mysterious red ghoul character, and a woman shielding her eyes from some nuclear explosions firing off in the distance, while taking refuge in a shelter.
As mentioned before, the Fallout series’ storyline will run separately from the mainline arc, with game director Todd Howard claiming that several producers in the last 10 years had reached out to him, asking for a film adaptation. A TV show, on the other hand, would be more beneficial for character development and worldbuilding — endless hours of playtime is something the RPG took pride in as well, giving players the freedom to go off-path and explore well-written side stories and immerse themselves in the post-apocalyptic world. While there is no information on the episode count, it’s confirmed that Nolan has directed the first three episodes. The Fallout series is part of Nolan and Joy’s overall partnership with Amazon Studios, which also included the Chloë Grace Moretz-led sci-fi series The Peripheral, whose planned second season got cancelled due to the Hollywood labour strikes.
Fallout stars Ella Purnell (Army of the Dead), Walton Goggins (Sons of Anarchy), Aaron Moten (Emancipation), Moisés Arias (Hannah Montana), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks), Sarita Choudhury (The Green Knight), Johnny Pemberton (Ant-Man), Frances Turner (The Boys), Michael Emerson (Person of Interest), Leslie Uggams (Deadpool), Zach Cherry (Severance), Dave Register (Heightened), Rodrigo Luzzi (Dead Ringers), Annabel O’Hagan (Law & Order: SVU), and Xelia Mendes-Jones (The Wheel of Time). Based on the leaked teaser, it appears Goggins is playing the ghoul John Hancock from Fallout 4.
Fallout premieres April 12, 2024, exclusively on Amazon Prime Video.