Amazon Prime Video's Fallout sci-fi show won't just "please fans" of the games

Director Jonathan Nolan reveals that his new TV series isn't simply paying lip service

Fallout TV show art
(Image credit: Amazon Prime Video / Future)
Quick Summary

Fallout director Jonathan Nolan has explained how much of a fan of the RPGs he is, but also that he hasn't made the forthcoming Amazon Prime Video TV series just for gamers.

However, he is very happy with the way the show has turned out.

Amazon will finally debut its most eagerly-awaited new series on its Prime Video streaming service next month and although, like The Last of Us, it's based on a video game, it hasn't solely been made for "the fans".

Speaking at a press event with T3 in attendance, the director and driving force behind the Fallout TV series, Jonathan Nolan, explained that setting out to simply appease the fans of the games would've been "a fool's errand".

"I don't think you really can set out to please the fans of anything," he said. "Or please anyone other than yourself.

"I  think you have to come into this trying to make the show that you want to make and trusting that, as fans of the game [ourselves], we would find the pieces that were essential to us... and try to do the best version."

But those worried that the Prime Video series will deviate too much from Fallout lore needn't – Nolan himself is a big fan of Bethesda's apocalyptic RPGs, which prompted him to co-create the show in the first place.

"It started, for me, with Fallout 3,  which devoured about a year of my life," he added.

"I was an aspiring young writer at that point, and it almost derailed my entire career. It's so ludicrously playable and fun... seriously, the games were just incredible.

"It's such a rare and unbelievable thing that I've gotten to do twice in my career, to take something that you love and get a chance to play in that universe, to create your own version.

"The first go-round for me was Batman, and this time with Fallout – a a series of games that I absolutely loved."

So does that mean he's happy with the end result?

"It's kind of a fool's errand to try to figure out how to make [other] people happy... You've got to make yourself happy. And I've made myself very happy with the show."

The Fallout TV series will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on 12 April 2024 with all eight episodes available to binge from day one.

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Rik Henderson
News Editor

Rik is T3’s news editor, which means he looks after the news team and the up-to-the-minute coverage of all the hottest gadgets and products you’ll definitely want to read about. And, with more than 35 years of experience in tech and entertainment journalism, including editing and writing for numerous websites, magazines, and newspapers, he’s always got an eye on the next big thing.

Rik also has extensive knowledge of AV, TV streaming and smart home kit, plus just about everything to do with games since the late 80s. Prior to T3, he spent 13 years at Pocket-lint heading up its news team, and was a TV producer and presenter on such shows as Channel 4's GamesMaster, plus Sky's Games World, Game Over, and Virtual World of Sport.