genuinely adapt the videogame experience to the small or big screen has proven to be one of the biggest challenge for directors of any caliber , in particular when it come to games that are heavier in tone and story - centrical . Paul Anderson ’s Resident Evil judge it with an full retconned franchise that traverse over a decade , while miserable - fundamental adaptations like Christophe Gans ' Silent Hill just pretermit the mark entirely .

luckily , thing have face up in recent years , with the most late lesson of Amazon ’s Fallout television series . But bear witness like this would n’t have seen the light of daytime were it not for others paving the way first .

Examples like Resident Evil and Silent Hill left the impression that pull up off a true rendering of a dear game with unique elements and ripe themes simply could not be done . However , they also share a common element miss from the equating - have the biz creator(s ) in the director ’s chair . Ironically , that was about to switch when Neil Druckmann ( writer and director of Naughty Dog ’s The Last of Us ) , pitched a film adaptation soon after the release of the original game .

Fallout main character Lucy MacLean in the first episode

Given that the biz went on to win over 40 awards , was inducted into the World Video Game Hall of Fame , and garner universal plaudit for its nonpareil storytelling , the idea of bring it to the silver screen door was n’t that far - fetched . However , Druckmann ’s plans fell into production limbo for several years , and it seemed like the projection was plant for failure until HBO author and producer Craig Mazin came into the picture in 2019 .

After his success with theChernobyllimited serial , Mazin play a fresh perspective to the table and he and Druckmann both agreed that , for the sake of tempo , The Last of Us needed to be an episodic series rather than a standalone moving-picture show . That decision would bear off in unnumerable spade , as the show obtained numerous well - earned awards , including eight Emmys that put Pedro Pascal , Bella Ramsey , and Nick Offerman in the limelight for their execution as Joel , Ellie , and Bill respectively . Not only that , the show was quickly renew for a second time of year .

touch : All difference between The Last of Us biz & TV Show

The Last of Us Joel and Ellie looking out over the city during their travels to find the Fireflies

Image via HBO

In the midst of it all , the success of The Last of Us would also ' light the room ' ( sorry , had to ) for other likely adaptation projects , including Amazon Prime ’s Fallout series . Few mass probably cognise that , since the release of Fallout 3 in 2008 , Bethesda had actually been approached several times about a screen door version of the dealership . However , director Todd Howard was n’t quenched with any of the pitches , warn that the wrong one in the incorrect hands could override the stormily crafted vision of the game series .

However , much like Mazin did with Druckmann and The Last of Us , Westworlddirector Jonathan Nolan approached Todd Howard with the well-defined vision yet . An zealous fan of the Fallout games himself , Nolan empathize what element were needed to bring the most iconic post - revelatory dealership to life sentence .

tie in : Fallout TV audience recollect they ’ve solved the closed book of the Ghoul ’s ampoule

An infected monster (Bloater) in The Last of Us

Image via HBO

Rather than a verbatim adaption that would n’t translate well on screen , the idea was to build a unusually accurate version of Fallout ’s universe , with all of its aesthetic crotchet and a unique story with a memorable protagonist rather than a " faceless " one at its center . This gave us the undeniably charming Lucy MacLean , along with a slew of tremendous reference such as Howard Cooper andMaximus , who all helped breathe life into a compelling narrative fit for California ’s nuclear waste .

After its debut on Prime Video , fan were awestruck by the sheer amount of authentic item , from the incredible set to fully functioning Pip - Boys , to the nostalgic 1960 ’s music tracks and just about everything in between . Each installment was an absolute roller coaster , with not a single minute waste and everything to prove . With Nolan ’s expertness , Todd Howard had finally found his theatrical vision for Fallout run nearly perfectly .

Leading up to the premiere , Nolan himself revealed in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter thatHBO ’s The Last of Us was the primary reason that the Fallout serial finally got greenlit . Even though he and Todd Howard were in reality quick to congeal thing in movement before The Last of Us went into production , they still faced an unsettled route beforehand of them , give that no other like projection had set a bar for expectations . In Nolan ’s words , " the barroom was non - actual " , so the risk was still there .

Fallout Howard Cooper’s commercial for Vault-Tec’s new vault system

Image via Prime Studios

However , since Joel and Ellie ’s journey inThe Last of Usbeat them to the punch and fix a new gilded standard , Nolan was actually relieve .

It ’s always nice to be the first one . But when somebody makes something as good asThe Last of Us , it score it easy , because dead everyone understand what ’s potential .

In pith , The Last of Us did the walking so that Fallout could then sprint ahead with truly outstanding results . Both display are regenerate for second seasons , and fans have even been clamor back to some of Bethesda ’s most pop Fallout game titles to further relive the experience while they wait .

Fallout Knights of the Brotherhood of Steel preparing for a mission

Image via Prime Studios

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Now with Fallout ’s stellar success added to the roll , that bar not only exist but has become even more solidify in an ever - competitive industry where ambitious construct are more often snubbed than embraced . It provides more assurance to upcoming projects like Netflix’sBioshock motion picture , which was also in and out of development oblivion for years and definitely has plenty of artistic challenge ( e.g. - Big Daddies ; a city at the bottom of the ocean ) on its home .

In the lag , a Nuka Cola goner to Nolan , Howard , and the full cast and gang . Here ’s hoping the post - apocalyptic magic continues the deeper into the wastelands we go .

Fallout Lucy MacLean meets Ma June and Wilzig in Filly

Image via Prime Studios

Be sure to ascertain out all of our former guides and news for Fallout , such as10 things we hope to see in Fallout Season 2 .