Fallout would never have been possible without this other great sci-fi series

Fallout just arrived on Prime Video and the new series produced by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy is nothing short of a guilty pleasure! According to series producer Jonathan Nolan, the adaptation of the popular video game franchise could not have seen the light of day without another big-budget post-apocalyptic thriller also based on a video game.

Thanks HBO

in the interview The Hollywood Reporter Before the release of Fallout, Jonathan Nolan admitted that when he had initial discussions about adapting the game, he didn’t have high hopes. It must be said that the quality of the series adapted from video games to the screen should have stuck to the retina.

But while he admitted he enjoyed being behind The Last of Us, the first high-profile post-apocalyptic video game adaptation, it ultimately helped the HBO series beat them to Fallout.

“I was delighted. When Todd Howard and I first sat down at the table, it wasn’t that the bar was high, it wasn’t. Especially in the field of television.

People were adapting a first-person game, and the studio said, “The series will have a first-person point of view.” No, it’s a grammatical feature of the game, that’s not how you fit it. It’s always nice to be first. But when someone makes something like The Last of Us, it’s easier because everyone suddenly understands what’s possible.“

As fun as games

Nolan also admitted that capturing the tone of the video games was key to translating it properly to the screen. The tone of the Fallout series is a mix of dark humor, post-apocalyptic gravitas, and retro-futuristic nostalgia. In a world devastated by nuclear war, the games explore survival, community building, and the consequences of technology and war.

Despite this grim background, the franchise is known for its satirical take on American culture and politics, particularly in the mid-20th century, as well as its ironic use of 1950s and 1960s music, which contrasts starkly with the desolate landscapes. Players evolve.

The Fallout games combine a dark, desolate atmosphere with lightness and absurd moments, often through eccentric characters, quirky storylines, and humorous references to pre-war life.

“It doesn’t have to be sad. But it was the games that served as a guide. When I sat down to play Fallout 3 after taking a break from writing, I was exhausted. I didn’t know what to expect at all“, he explains.

“The sense of humor and irony, the level of satire, and this depiction of an Eisenhower-era America that never lost its confidence and kept moving forward…this game had a unique tone. This is political work. It’s a crazy point of view and it’s crazy violence“.