Jonathan Nolan’s TV adaptation of the successful videogame franchise Fallout has found its lead in acclaimed actor Walton Goggins, according to Deadline. Prime Video is making the series, as well as a Mass Effect show – part of a recent explosion in videogame adaptations. Goggins’ role is unspecified, but he is likely to be playing a Ghoul – a mutated human.
Fallout is set in a post-apocalyptic world after humanity explodes itself through a nuclear war in 2077. The magic of Fallout is the harshness of the wasteland set against the previous generation’s utopian idea of a better world. The protagonist is a vault-dweller, part of a community that hid away in bomb shelters until the radioactive haze subsides. Through each instalment, you encounter different groups, with contrasting political views, and mutated monsters – from ghouls to deathclaws.
There is already speculation that Goggins might bridge the pre and post nuclear war time periods and play both a human and a ghoul. Or that Goggins will be one of several leads, each of a different faction, with him being the leader of the Ghouls.
Videogame adaptations are currently all the rage, with Uncharted currently in cinemas, Halo coming to Paramount Plus shortly, and The Last of Us on its way to HBO. In addition to these, Dwayne Johnson is rumoured to be working on a Call of Duty adaptation. Sonic 2 is on its way, with a spin-off Knuckles series also coming. There’s also an American McGee’s Alice TV series and an It Takes Two movie.
Jonathan Noland is best known for writing (or co-writing) his brother Christopher‘s films, including Memento, The Prestige, The Dark Knight and Interstellar. He is also the creator of the TV series Westworld, which is also set in a dystopian science fiction near-future.
Walton Goggins is a character actor with nearly 100 credits across film and TV. His TV show roles include The Shield, Sons of Anarchy and Justified, and film roles include Spielberg‘s Lincoln, as well as Tarantino’s Django Unchained and The Hateful Eight.
If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic wastelands (and who isn’t?), check out our guide to the best zombie movies.