Far Cry TV Series is in the Works: Noah Hawley Attached
- FX orders a Far Cry anthology series from Rob McElhenney and Noah Hawley.
- McElhenney will star, with both creators excited to adapt the franchise.
- Expect a genre-bending take, mixing Far Cry’s varied lore with Fargo-style storytelling.
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It’s Always Sunny in Far Cry Land
FX has placed a series order for a Far Cry TV show, and it’s being produced by Rob McElhenney (Welcome to Wrexham) and Noah Hawley (Fargo). Gamers wondering which title in the Ubisoft series is due for adaptation might well find it’s all of them: the idea is for each season to follow a different set of characters in a new setting, in a similar way to how the Fargo TV series works.
McElhenney is also set to star in the show; he may be more familiar to gamers from his role on Mythic Quest (which he co-created), in which he plays the head of a game studio. He’s also the co-creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. As a keen gamer himself, McElhenney has expressed his delight at getting the chance to work on Far Cry with FX and Hawley.
“Getting to work alongside Noah Hawley is a dream realized,” said McElhenney. “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.”
A Far Cry From Its Debut
The last Far Cry game was Far Cry 6, released in 2022. It follows a guerilla uprising in the fictional Latin American country of Yara, and stars Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad) as the country’s dictator. Despite the change in setting, it followed the same overall gameplay beats as the preceding four games (secure enemy camps, help a resistance group, take back an overall location).
Far Cry 2 rewrote the game series to follow this path in 2008 as it tasked the player with taking back a war-torn African state from corrupt warlords. While there have been six games in the mainline series, the first Far Cry is the only one that features a more sci-fi bent as the player ends up fighting weird mutant monkey-things on a tropical island.
There have been several spin-offs and DLC however, that put a less realistic spin on the franchise, from Far Cry 5’s Dead Living Zombies to Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon. There have also been a few experiments and remakes within the franchise too, from Far Cry Vengeance (a remake of Far Cry Instincts: Evolution) and Far Cry VR: Dive Into Insanity (a 30 minute game based on Far Cry 3 that’s only available to play at Zero Latency locations).
Remix the Lore
What this all means for the FX show remains to be seen, but given McElhenney’s love of video games and willingness to play with genre (multiple It’s Always Sunny episodes reference movies and other media, for example) it’s a safe bet that a straightforward action/thriller TV show is unlikely.
Hawley’s involvement also bodes well for a narrative that doesn’t necessarily follow straight lines: Fargo has been known to mix crime genre conventions with hints of the supernatural and film noir. He also most recently brought Alien: Earth to screens, which took what people knew about the xenomorphs’ canon and remixed it into something that acted as a prequel to the first movie, but also referenced lore from later entries.
“What I love about the Far Cry game franchise is it’s an anthology,” said Hawley. “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.”
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