Jonathan Nolan Compares “Fallout” Series to “Batman”

Back in July of 2020, Amazon’s Prime Video announced a big, epic television show based on an a beloved existing IP was in the works. No, not their “The Lord of the Rings” series “The Rings of Power” (that was as far back as 2017). But something a little more…post-apocalyptic. That is NOT HBO’s “The Last of Us,” or AMC’s still-going “The Walking Dead.”

Bethesda’s “Fallout” video game series is sorta perfect for an adaptation, with the right guidance. With 6 main titles in the franchise- Fallout, Fallout 2, Fallout 3, Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4 and Fallout 76- there is a lot to pull from in terms of inspiration and storytelling. Which is what made Jonathan Nolan‘s involvement even more exciting.

Nolan is the brother of director Christopher Nolan, and along with his wife, Lisa Joy, sort of a power to be reckoned with in the writing sphere of Hollywood. With such credits as “Memento,” “The Prestige,” “Westworld,” and the Christian Bale “Batman” films, this is someone fans could theoretically trust to adapt and deliver. But also maybe…create all-new stories within that universe that’ll WORK.

“From the first conversation with Todd [Howard], we were most excited about an original story,” Nolan told TotalFilm. “Fallout, in my career, is closest to the work we did in adapting Batman, where there’s so much storytelling in the Batman universe that there is no canonical version of it, so you’re free to invent your own.”

Thats…interesting. So while we’re definitely be seeing familiar pieces, the series will also have a lot of new elements.

“Each of the [Fallout] games is a discrete story – different city, distinct protagonist – within the same mythology,” Nolan continued. “Our series sits in relation to the games as the games sit in relation to each other. It’s almost like we’re Fallout 5. I don’t want to sound presumptuous, but it’s just a non-interactive version of it, right?”

This isn’t a new thought about the show, either. Showrunner Graham Wagner also used the “Fallout 5” descriptor in December of 2023. “We didn’t start from a place of characters from the games. We set things after. We kind of told ourselves, this is Fallout 5, this is just another installation, and we’re starting with fresh snow.”

“Fallout” is the story of haves and have-nots in a world in which there’s almost nothing left to have. 200 years after the apocalypse, the gentle denizens of luxury fallout shelters are forced to return to the irradiated hellscape their ancestors left behind — and are shocked to discover an incredibly complex, gleefully weird and highly violent universe waiting for them. The series stars Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Aaron Moten, Kyle MacLachlan, and more.

It’s set to hit Prime Video on April 12th, 2024. Check out the first teaser now: