Fallout TV show: Everything we know so far

Prime Video's Fallout TV show is a ways away, but we already have a ton of information so far. From the complete list of core cast members to plot points revealed by Bethesda director Todd Howard, there's plenty be excited about already.

We also have an official release date, first look images, confirmed locations – and the first teaser trailer is on the horizon. Whether you're excited about Walton Goggins playing a Ghoul or Twin Peaks star Kyle MachLachlan playing an Overseer – there's something for video game and apocalyptic drama fans alike. Plus, the series is helmed by Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, so you know the post-apocalyptic adaptation is in very good hands.

Scroll on to learn everything we know so far about Prime Video's Fallout TV show.

Fallout release date

The release date isn't too far away...but it is next year. Fallout is set to hit Prime Video on April 12, 2024. It's unclear whether the show will air on the streamer weekly, or drop all at once – the latter of which Prime Video did for The Boys season one. Either way, we'll be meeting Lucy and co. in Los Angeles next spring.

The TV rights to the game were purchased by Amazon back in 2020, with the first announcement following shortly after. This means the show has spent three years in development thus far. Amazon Studios and Kilter Films developed the adaptation in association with Bethesda Game Studios and Bethesda Softworks.

"Fallout is an iconic global franchise, with legions of fans worldwide and a rich, deeply compelling storyline that powers it, COO and co-head of Amazon Television said at the time. "And Jonathan and Lisa are the perfect storytellers to bring this series to life. We’re thrilled to join with Bethesda to bring Fallout to television."

A cryptic teaser was also released at the time.

Fallout TV show first look

In October 2023, Prime Video released a teaser via the TV show's official Twitter account, and shared an animated message featuring an 8-bit style Vault Boy. The brief video revealed the premiere date as April 12, 2024. The account's bio now reads, "Prepare for the future! Come for the apocalypse, stay for the Fallout  – April 12, 2024 only on @primevideo."

In November 2023, a string of first look images were released. In the images, we get our first glimpse of Walton Goggins' cowboy-style Ghoul, Ella Purnell's Lucy, Kyle MacLachlan's Hank, the Brotherhood of Steel, and Vault 33. Even more first look images were shared in an-depth feature via Vanity Fair.

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Fallout cast and crew

We don't know all of who's playing who, but we do have the core cast list: Ella Purnell as Lucy, Kyle MacLachlan as Overseer Hank, Walton Goggins as The Ghoul/Cooper Howard, Aaron Moten as Maximus, Mike Doyle as Mr. Spencer, Moisés Arias as Norm, Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus, Cherien Dabis as Birdie, Dale Dickey as Ma June, Matty Cardarople as Huey, Michael Emerson as Wilzig, Dave Register as Chet, Rodrigo Luzzi as Reg, and Annabel O'Hagan as Steph.

Additionally, Xelia Mendes-Jones, Sarita Choudhury, Frances Turner, Leslie Uggams, and Zach Cherry also star.

Purnell's Lucy, a vault dweller who has lived below the surface for her entire life, is our lead. MacLachlan's Hank is Lucy's Overseer, aka the leader of Lucy's Vault-Tec vault. Goggins' Cooper is a Ghoul, which, in the game, is a race of (rather scary-looking) posthuman beings severely affected by radiation. Not all Ghouls are bad, (except for the video game's Feral kind) and it looks like Goggin's Ghoul, despite his jarring appearance, might be a good guy. Morten's Maximus is a "wannabe soldier" who grew up aboveground and was raised by the Brotherhood of Steel.

The series was written and developed by Westworld helmers Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan, with Tomb Raider writing duo Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner serving as showrunners. Nolan has directed the first three episodes. Claire Kilner and Wayne Yip have directed others.

"Lucy is charming and plucky and strong," Nolan told Vanity Fair. "And then you see she’s confronted with the reality of, hey, maybe the supposedly virtuous things you grew up with are not necessarily that virtuous." The director also referred to Maximus as a "squire."

“[The Ghoul] becomes our guide and our protagonist in that [older] world, even as we understand him to be the antagonist at the end of the world,” Nolan said of Goggin's character.

Fallout plot

Per the official synopsis, a global nuclear war, known as the Great War, breaks out in 2077, before fast-forwarding 219 years to a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles in 2296 – where we meet Lucy (Purnell), who has lived her entire life in a vault deep underground. When a crisis forces Lucy to go up to the surface, she encounters a nightmare of mutant creatures, massive insects, and nasty human survivors.

The series is also reportedly set to reveal the origin story behind Vault Boy (not to be confused with the Pip-Boy computer-watches, which have their own mascot), the smiling Vault-Tec mascot that has virtually appeared in every single Fallout game.

Lucy and co. will also come upon a post-war settlement known as Philly, a junkyard-like settlement in the greater Los Angeles area made from scraps, and the Caswennan, an airship used by the Brotherhood of Steel – who, like in the game, are heavily featured in the show.

Other locations include the Super Duper Mart (made exclusively for the show), Vault 33, the Vault-Tec vault where Lucy resides, The Red Rocket station (also made for the show), and the New California Republic (which is first introduced in Fallout 2).

Bethesda director Todd Howard, who serves as an executive producer, said he views the show as canon to the franchise, so no need to worry about the series straying too far from the game's original path.

"We had a lot of conversations over the style of humor, the level of violence, the style of violence," Howard told Vanity Fair. "Look, Fallout can be very dramatic, and dark, and postapocalyptic, but you need to weave in a little bit of a wink…. I think they threaded that needle really well on the TV show."

Lisa Joy described the upcoming series as "a gonzo, crazy, funny, adventure, and mindfuck like none you’ve ever seen before. It’s pretty cool" (via Collider).

For more, check out our list of all the upcoming video game movies you need to know about.