The list of projects being adapted from video games seemingly has no end to it. Along with the Hollywood sequel machine giving us another “Super Mario Bros.” next year, and a third season of “Twisted Metal,” We’re also going to be getting a “Legend of Zelda“ live-action movie and a half-dozen others we’re forgetting about. Time to add another one to the list as the creative minds behind the “Fargo“ series and “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” are developing “Far Cry” as a live-action for FX.
Rob McElhenney and Noah Hawley (“Alien: Earth“) are developing the series for FX. Both Hawley and Mac have firm connections with the network given that Hawley created the “Fargo” series, and Mac helped create and stars in “It’s Always Sunny.” While the games frequently have some humorous elements to them, they also have an undercurrent of seriousness that fits more with the “Fargo” world rather than the “Sunny” one.
The Ubisoft franchise “Far Cry” originated in 2004, but it was the third sequel that really catapulted it into the mainstream in 2012. The titles are disconnected from each other in terms of story and characters but tend to feature recurring elements of a fish-out-of-water protagonist attempting to survive and work towards political upheaval of an existing government. The most recent entry “Far Cry 6” dropped in 2021, and while successful enough in its own right, it reflected diminishing returns for what has become a kind of formulaic franchise.
Fittingly enough, the games’ anthology type nature is exactly what they’re looking to achieve with the upcoming series, with each season being a different story with different people. “What I love about the ‘Far Cry’ game franchise is it’s an anthology,” Hawley said. “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.” Details haven’t been released yet in terms of story or casting, so we don’t know if we’re going to be looking at straight up adaptations of the game stories, or more of a spiritual adaptation.
“Ubisoft has been remarkably generous, entrusting us with one of the most iconic video-game worlds ever created,” Mac said. “And through it all, my FX family continues to lift me up with their constant belief and support.”
It would be a good shot in the arm for the series as well considering the mainline games have been growing a bit stale. The spin-offs have been remarkably creative, as anyone who took a run through “Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon” can attest to. Now that’s a game that deserves a full-on adaptation into a series.
We’ll continue to provide updates as the “Far Cry” project develops. Also, watch Mac’s Apple TV series “Mythic Quest!”
