There was no pressure on Microsoft’s Xbox division to turn the Fallout video game series into a TV series. That’s one of the main reasons why the adaptation, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video earlier this year, did well with viewers and die-hard fans of the game.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer and Jonah Nolan, executive producer and showrunner of the “Fallout” TV series, discussed how the TV series will work during a discussion held this week as part of the Paley Center for Media’s International. He told the story behind how he was born. Council Summit in New York. Spencer and Nolan discussed the increasing convergence of gaming IP with television, film, and other media.
Spencer emphasized that the decision to explore a new version of Fallout, one of Xbox’s most popular titles, as a TV drama series was largely driven by Nolan’s expressed passion for the film. did. This was a big factor in giving the company and Fallout game creator Todd Howard confidence that Nolan would respect and enhance the game’s creative DNA in a new medium. This also reflects a generational shift in Hollywood, with top creators and decision-makers naturally familiar with gaming.
“We don’t have to make a TV show or a movie about individual properties, so we’re better off doing something with someone we trust and who we think will raise the bar for what the franchise stands for,” Spencer said. Said. “With 100 million people watching the show, this incredible achievement makes Fallout even more important to more people.”
Nolan, a television veteran whose past series include HBO’s “Westworld” and CBS’ “Person of Interest,” is adapting his expansive narrative threads and details to different storytelling mediums and adapting them to video games. We dig deep into the complexities of adapting. He equated it with the approach he took with his brother, multihyphenate Christopher Nolan, on the Dark Knight Batman trilogy.
“In some ways, it’s a pretty open film from the perspective of storytellers trying to adapt it,” Nolan said. “It was similar to our experience with the Batman movies. There were so many different versions of Batman that there was an invitation to say, ‘You have to make it your own.’ . … And while the “Fallout” games had all these amazing choices, it was the fact that each game in the series had a different setting, a different story, and different characters, all of which were connected to each other. For us, this larger mythology was a great opportunity for adaptation. ”
Nolan said he had been pursuing Howard, who developed the game through Microsoft’s Bethesda Games, for several years. Finally, he called me back. Nolan and Howard hit it off right away. Season 1 of “Fallout” was a huge hit on Amazon Prime Video, earning around 16 Emmy nominations, including Best Drama Series.
“About half of my career has been in original film and television work, and the other half has been in adaptations. And I’ve often joked that my favorite film adaptations are of deceased authors, because they’ve passed away. “There aren’t many notes left by the writers,” Nolan said. Nolan’s personal familiarity with the game made a big difference.
“The thing about the game is that you can’t see the cutdowns. You can’t look at YouTube compilations of cutscenes and understand what the game is actually about,” Nolan said. “You have to be in it.”
Nolan’s inclusion of Howard as a key voice throughout the process also gave Microsoft some comfort. “Fallout” comes together as HBO continues to enjoy great success with Season 1 of “The Last of Us,” a drama series also based on the game series. In both cases, the anime adaptations were well received by fans, in part because the game creators had a say over the creators who took the TV reins.
“Early on, we took creative trust to understand what the game team brought to the equation in terms of the world, setting, and some of the camp humor, but also be willing to step back and let others do the work.” “It was important early on to have very talented creators take the reins of a medium that we don’t have expertise in,” Spencer said. “Anytime we try to do something new, we have to advance the way that world is. One of the things I really liked about this TV show was the slightly quirky world of Fallout. It’s about making it more accessible to more people.”
On that note, Spencer and Nolan discussed the importance of engaging with fans and social media creators within the series to expand the series’ reach. It means relinquishing control over intellectual property and allowing individuals to use it as a means of expressing their creativity.
“We live in a world where if you’re really successful, outside of your own creative process, there are more people who will love the series you build,” Spencer said. . “And there’s a freedom that we have to take that and give it to the community to run with it. It’s important to understand how much that advances everyone’s interests.”
To that effect, Spencer was asked by an audience member at the International Council Summit if Microsoft intended to bring the “Halo” game series to television again. Showtime launched a TV series based on the property in 2022, which received mixed reactions from fans of the timeless game. He indicated that his answer was a conditional “yes.”
“As older video game makers, I think we’ve long had a sense of envy toward Hollywood and its production process,” Spencer said. “I see it now as a more collaborative process than historically between the world of video games and television and film. Finding the right partnerships and doing new things is what makes this job so exciting. It’s the purpose.”
(Photo: Phil Spencer, Jonah Nolan)
