In the vast world of video games, there are a few gaming universes that seem tailor-made for TV adaptation. While live-action adaptations have been sparse, recent animated adaptations have made a significant impact. However, there has always been a desire for a high-quality live-action video game adaptation for television. Thankfully, the Fallout series is stepping up to the challenge.
The Fallout TV series is not your typical adaptation; it’s a unique endeavour that adds to the series’ rich lore, showcasing its longevity and depth. As the highly anticipated Fallout TV series prepares for its debut, CGM had the privilege of sitting down with showrunner Graham Wagner and the enigmatic Walton Goggins, offering a glimpse into the world of Fallout before its grand unveiling.
There have been many charismatic ghoul characters in the Fallout series. Did you look into any past concepts before taking on the role?
Walton Goggins: I did not. Never watched or played a frame of the game. As soon as we had started having these conversations with Jonathan, Geneva, and Graham, I think after the first one, I looked up one article and started reading through it. I got like five sentences in and I thought, okay, yeah, I’m not going to do this. This is a world, and this is a religion. I’m not going to figure this out in five minutes.
I decided that it’s best if someone is sitting at a table that isn’t influenced by the deep mythology of the game. I was able to judge these stories from a critical eye that wasn’t influenced by the game’s perspective. And I felt like that’s the best thing I can do.
What was it like adapting such a beloved and storied franchise into a television show?
Graham Wagner: It was a delight. I mean, it’s 25 years of other people’s really cool ideas. I mean, what’s to complain about? We have an eight-hour television season. You spent eight hours making your character’s nose. I’ve been playing Fallout since 1997. And I tried not to let the fact that it’s a big deal to me freak myself out. I think the real secret with Fallout is that they clearly had fun making these games. If you adapt it, you have to replicate that part and have fun.
Also, it seems corny as hell to say, but it’s really weirdly true and important that, like, we had a good time, we made ourselves laugh with ideas in the vein of Fallout. And also ideas directly ripped from Fallout. We hope that we approached the show with the right balance of reverence and whimsy.
There is a moment in the series that, without spoiling it, changes the lore of Fallout forever. Even as an outsider to the series, did this have an impact on you, and how did you get Todd Howard to agree to it?
Walton Goggins: That’s a big, big secret. How did it make you feel?
As soon as it clicked, there was this almost earth-shattering excitement that took over my body.
Walton Goggins: That means so much. I’m going to pass that along to everybody because that was the intention. I mean, there are easter eggs throughout this entire experience. But at the end of the day, you know, we’re not recreating Fallout 1,2,3 or 4, and this isn’t Fallout 5. This is an original entry into the world of Fallout that fits within the canon of Fallout. The themes that are inherent in the game are themes that are being played out in the world that we’re living in now and have been played out throughout time.
Graham Wagner: You know, Todd is an incredibly busy guy. And he’s incredibly used to working with various creative teams all over. And I got a sense of just how much of a pro that guy is because he just lets people cook. And he lets them come in with stuff. “You may want to stay away from this.” Or “Oh, this is interesting.” It’s the most casual, creative conversation you could ever imagine having.
So there was no convincing. He sort of nods his head, and it’s like, “You might want to stay away from this because we’ve tried that in the past, and it’s a little fraught, but you’re welcome to try it.” So it’s the closest thing to, like, working with Lorne Michaels in terms of, like, this guy’s seen everything. Nothing we can say you can shock this guy. And yeah, that’s a really reassuring presence to be around.
Was there a particular Fallout game you wanted the cast and crew to check out? Because every Fallout game has the same general themes, but each one has a very different feel to it.
Graham Wagner: My hope was to sort of blur my eyes and try to encapsulate all of it. There are all sorts of iterations of the Brotherhood of Steel from Fallout 1 to Fallout 4. We tried to take the attitude that all of them exist there, but they’re all true, depending on where you are.
Maximus wants to be in the Brotherhood from Fallout 4, but he’s found himself in the Brotherhood of Fallout One, which is a bunch of techno jocks. In the eight episodes we had, we obviously weren’t able to get to so many of the gold standard, like iconic things from the Fallout world, but we sort of took the attitude of like, hey, let’s be patient, you know, Game of Thrones didn’t show giants until season six or seven.
Walton Goggins: Oh, it’s hilarious. It’s an absurd, subversive comedy, whether you laugh out loud or you’re just giggling on the inside. It is hyper-stylized; it is totally accurate to the game itself, even the violence and the way that it’s portrayed. But, there are also real consequences for the people in this world. And when things happen that are supposed to land emotionally, hopefully, they do, or are emotionally evocative on some level.
So, what was the process and preparation for both The Ghoul and Copper? Because while they are the same, they are mentally very different.
Walton Goggins: I had to understand Cooper Howard. Before understanding The Ghoul and understanding Cooper Howard’s world and what it is that he lost in this horrific cataclysmic moment, it would be so compelling and so painful to keep him alive for the next 200 years. Why is he still alive? What is he looking for? What is motivating him? And, who was he before the bombs dropped in order to retain a bit of that personality 200 years later?
I mean, they have to speak to each other, and you have to believe that they’re very different people, but they are the same person. And, so, I found that in humour, I don’t think a person loses their sense of humour. We all change, right? I am certainly not the person that I was when I moved to Los Angeles 30 years ago, but there’s a part of me that still is that person.
I do have to ask: what’s your favourite Fallout game?
Graham Wagner: I have to not answer that. If I answer that, that’s the only part of this interview that’ll go. I have got to keep some mystery there. But I can say the first game was nothing like my first impression of it, like I was an arena fan. I was playing Daggerfall. And a friend came by and was like, “Hey, this is Fallout. It plays a little like XCOM.” You’re speaking my language, dude. So yeah, first impression, nothing like it, but the games kept evolving and kept growing and getting more detailed as it went. Okay. What’s your favourite Elder Scrolls game?
Graham Wagner & Justin: Morrowind.
I think it’s an incredible way to adapt a very cheeky video game series into a show, and you’ve really nailed it. So I just want to say thank you as a fan of the game and now the show.
Graham Wagner: I appreciate it coming from someone who knows about Morrowind. That counts for a lot.
