The rumored TV series based on the video game franchise, Fallout, has finally been greenlit for production by Amazon Prime Video. The ever popular post-apocalyptic Bethesda franchise’s TV adaptation is now being put in seemingly capable and seasoned hands as 2022 marks the beginning of production. But what should we expect from this series taking place in the Wasteland?

First, we need to understand the overall story and lore of the Fallout universe: Fallout takes place in an alternate retro-futuristic timeline after World War 2 where the world became heavily reliant on atomic and nuclear energy. Advancements in technology such as robots, power armor, and portable computers called Pip-Boys were made. Eventually, the world was thrust into a global shortage of, well basically everything, with the world being put on the verge of yet another war. Eventually, in the year 2077, global nuclear detonations were set off, with radiation changing and mutating everything, and those that survived were either lucky, planned ahead, or were protected in the underground Vaults from Vault-Tec. In the games, you explore the Wasteland, about 200 years after the war, with each game following a different tale in vast open-world environments, from the absolute destruction in the Capital Wasteland, to the nearly untouched deserts of New Vegas, to the sad, patriotic remains of the Commonwealth. 

With such an expansive universe, it is safe to say that the producers will have a lot to unpack with the franchise (more on that in a bit). “But just who is handling the upcoming Fallout TV series?” you ask? Well, as it turns out, 

Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan, owners of Kilter Films, best known as the creators of Westworld, will be spearheading the production of the series as 2022 signs of progress as part of a multi-project deal with Amazon. The two will be partnering with Fallout lead developer and Bethesda Game Studios CEO, Todd Howard, to produce the series as well. According to a statement made by Joy and Nolan to The Hollywood Reporter, “…we’re so 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.”

Curiously, Amazon Studios also had posted a Tweet way back in mid-2020, with a short clip of a very retro-looking television, showing off all the logos of the studios working on it, and dawning the iconic “Please Stand By” card at the end.

When production was announced on the 6 of January for 2022, it was reported that Captain Marvel and Tomb Raider co-writer, Geneva Robertson-Dworet, and Portlandia executive producer, Graham Wagner, would be brought on as showrunners for the series. As of right now, however, there is still no confirmed release date for when it will hit Prime Video, but it is expected that it could be sometime in 2023.

There’s still one thing, however, that is still in question: just what exactly will the series be about? With Fallout being such a broad and expansive universe, it’s not gonna be exactly easy to cram every single thing about it into one season. From the nuclear detonations to the American-Chinese War and the Battle of Anchorage, to the Enclave, to the Brotherhood of Steel, to the U.S. annexation of Canada, to Vault-Tec, to the Children of Atom, to New Vegas, to the New California Republic, to the Institute, to the Garden of Eden Creation Kits (G.E.C.K.), to the Minutemen, to the Railroad, to Caesar’s Legion, to all the other factions and all other treats in the Wasteland, which include, but are not limited, raiders, super mutants, ghouls, giant cockroaches, giant crabs, giant flies, giant scorpions, giant mosquitoes, giant lobsters, giant lizards, robots, synths, cults, and freaking aliens! And I’ve barely scratched the surface of what all exists in this massive and ever-expanding franchise.

With all this in mind, it is currently speculation of just how the series could potentially play out. If I were to take an educated guess on this matter, I personally believe that the series would be a bit of an anthology, with either each episode or each season taking place in a different region of the wasteland with a different character(s) every time, sort of like other anthology series like Black Mirror or Infinity Train. If this series is also going to try and explore the Fallout universe in general, I would suggest also giving more insight into the world before the nuclear detonations, showcasing the United States’ war with China, the shortages of resources across the globe, the back-handed tactics of Vault-Tec when they were creating the Vaults, etc.

I would also like to see further exploration of mysteries in Fallout that still remain unsolved as well, such as “What happened to the rest of the world in Fallout?”, “Why did Vault-Tec conduct all those human experiments in the Vaults?”, and, most of all, “Who really started the nuclear war in 2077?”

Only time will tell just what all will be in this upcoming series. For now, all we can do is wait and speculate on what Amazon, Bethesda, and Kilter are cooking up. All I can say now is to keep an eye on this series. And remember: war, war never changes.