It looks like Disney/FX/Hulu is getting into the video game adaptation TV game with “Far Cry,” an anthology series based on the globally popular Ubisoft IP that hails from executive producers Noah Hawley (“Fargo,” “Alien: Earth”) and Rob Mac (“It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia,” “Mythic Quest”) through their respective production banners 26 Keys and More Better Productions.
Mac, formerly known as McElhenney, will not only be a creative force on the video game series streaming on Hulu after being given a series order, but he’ll also star, which tends to be a trend with his TV projects. Their video game show is also taking cues from the franchise’s standalone storytelling format; each season is set in a new setting, following a new cast of characters.
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“Far Cry” is a first-person shooter franchise developed by Crytek and published by Ubisoft back in 2004, and could be a bit of a blank canvas for Hawley and Mac as the games don’t exactly follow the same protagonist in each installment (“Better Call Saul” co-stars Michael Mando and Giancarlo Esposito previoulsy playing villains in the series), which is likely why they’re going with an anthology model. One of the more wackier stories in the series was the expansion add-on “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” that featured a satirical cyberpunk future world and Michael Biehn (“Terminator,” “Aliens”) voicing Sergeant Rex “Power” Colt, a cyborg soldier. It remains to be seen if they’ll be attempting to tackle the “Blood Dragon” angle in this Hulu series, given how expensive that could potentially be on a streaming budget; then again, they might as well go for it.
“Getting to work alongside Noah Hawley is a dream realized,” Mac said in an official statement on the “Far Cry” announcement. “Ubisoft has been remarkably generous, entrusting us with one of the most iconic video-game worlds ever created. And through it all, my FX family continues to lift me up with their constant belief and support.”
Hawley also added his own sentiments on the project, “What I love about the ‘Far Cry’ game franchise is it’s an anthology. Each game is a variation of a theme, the same way each season of Fargo is a variation on a theme. To create a big action show that can change from year to year, while always exploring the nature of humanity through this complex and chaotic lens, is a dream come true. I’m excited to partner with Rob and bring our shared irreverent, ambitious sensibility to the screen.”
This comes after Hawley recently signed a new overall deal with Disney Entertainment Television and FX Networks as part of his renewal of “Alien: Earth,” and production on season two of the sci-fi horror streaming series is expected to begin next year in London. FX’s “Far Cry” (produced by FX Productions) will be executive produced by Mac, Hawley, Emilia Serrano for 26 Keys, Nick Frenkel for 3 Arts, Jackie Cohn for More Better Productions, John Campisi, and Gerard Guillemot, Margaret Boykin, and Austin Dill for Ubisoft Film & Television.
Video game adaptations have become super common these days on the small screen with the success of “The Last of Us,” “Fallout,” “Twisted Metal,” and Prime Video‘s animated anthology “Secret Level” (featuring a slew of different video games in different episodes) gathering a bit of following. In the wake of this growing trend, it has led to even more TV projects coming down the pipeline, such as “Splinter Cell: Deathwatch,” “Mass Effect,” “God of War,” and “Assassin’s Creed.” So, “Far Cry” is certainly a notable title in the gaming world and is ripe for a new live-action adaptation.
The last time “Far Cry” was given a live-action adaptation, it was from German-Canadian filmmaker Uwe Boll (“House of the Dead,” “Alone In The Dark”) as the 2008 messy feature attempt starred Til Schweiger (“Inglorious Basterds”) and veteran genre character actor Udo Kier (“Blade”), the latter sadly passing over the weekend.
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