One Christopher Nolan Movie Ensured The Fallout TV Series Got Made
The first "Fallout" game hit the market way back in 1997 and took place in a post-apocalyptic future world following a nuclear war between the United States and China. In a stylistic twist, the designs for the game extrapolated what the devastated nuclear mid-21st century would look like had the bomb dropped back in the 1950s, giving everything a retro-futurist aesthetic. The first two "Fallout" games were only available on PCs, but the series really took off in popularity when the series moved to the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360 — and to the high-profile Bethesda Game Studios –in 2008 with the release of "Fallout 3." As of this writing, there are 12 "Fallout" video games. Debating which "Fallout" game is the best seems to be one of those merry inter-fan debates that keep its fandom alive.
On April 12, 2024, Amazon Studios will be releasing a live-action "Fallout" TV series, and it will star Walton Goggins as the Ghoul, Ella Purnell (from "Yellowjackets"), and Kyle McLachlan. The series was created by Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, the executive producers and co-creators of the hit sci-fi series "Westworld." Nolan also created the series "Person of Interest," and between his two shows, wrote 22 episodes and directed four. Nolan additionally wrote the short story that the film "Memento" was based on, in addition to co-writing "The Prestige," "The Dark Knight," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "Interstellar," all directed by his brother, Christopher Nolan. Jonathan Nolan is directing the "Fallout" pilot.
According to a first look article published by Vanity Fair, it seems "Interstellar," released in 2014, was notably significant in the establishment of a "Fallout" TV series. Todd Howard, the director and executive producer of Bethesda, is evidently an enormous "Interstellar" fan.
Interstellar x Starfield
In 2023, Howard served as director for the sci-fi video game "Starfield," and he admitted that his galaxy-exploration game was deeply inspired by "Interstellar." A few years ago, when the "Fallout" TV series was still in the works, Howard recalled desperately wanting Jonathan Nolan to oversee it. Even if he felt there was little chance Nolan would take on the project, Howard had to make darn sure:
"The movies he's worked on are some of my favorites. And I'd heard that he liked video games, and had an eye for that stuff. I'd said to somebody — and I won't say who — but I was taking a meeting with another producer, and said: 'Before I talk to other people, I want to hear that Jonah Nolan says he'll never do it.'"
This pie-in-the-sky dream actually led to a meeting between Howard and Nolan, and the seeds were planted. Nolan, it seems, was indeed interested. Nolan and List Joy acquired the TV rights to "Fallout" shortly thereafter and got to work. In the "Fallout" games, the player controls a mute, nameless character, so it was up to Nolan and Joy to invent characters and a story arc set in the "Fallout" world. The new series may not bear any direct similarities to "Interstellar" apart from their respective future settings, but Howard must have been glad that the co-writer of one of his favorite movies was in charge.
Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner as serving as showrunners on "Fallout," which will begin streaming on Prime Video on April 12, 2024.