Filming for the Far Cry series has begun

The "Far Cry" series is taking a major step forward! According to cinematographer Polly Morgan, filming has now officially begun. To mark the occasion, she posted a photo of a clapperboard on her Instagram and wrote, "This is fun".

Instead of simply retelling one of the familiar stories from the games, "Far Cry" is set to function as an anthology. This means that each season will tell a standalone story with new characters. This concept fits the source material quite well. While the individual games all share the same name, they each feature different settings and stories. Sometimes the player finds themselves on a tropical island nation, other times in snow-covered mountains, or even in the Stone Age.

Noah Hawley is one of the people behind the new series. The writer and producer is best known for "Fargo" and "Alien: Earth". The first cast members have also been announced. We'll get to see Steve Buscemi, Lizzy Caplan, and "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" star Rob Mac. Exactly which roles the actors will play has not yet been revealed. Information about the premiere date is also still pending. The series will air on Hulu.

Why Far Cry Is Particularly Well-Suited for a Series

At first glance, the source material might seem like an obvious choice for a TV adaptation, mainly because of its spectacular action. In fact, however, the franchise offers another crucial advantage: it isn't tied to a single story or a fixed main character. That's exactly what could make "Far Cry" a particularly suitable candidate for an anthology series. This would make it possible to showcase the different facets of the franchise while also attracting new viewers. Anyone who misses a season or isn't particularly interested in a specific story could easily jump back in with the next one.

The themes of the games also provide plenty of material for a series. Power, violence, political oppression, fanaticism, and the struggle for survival are among the recurring motifs of the series. At the same time, "Far Cry" repeatedly explores the question of how far people will go when faced with extreme situations. In addition to the expected action sequences, this could give rise to dark and gripping character-driven stories.

More Time for Villains

Another advantage is the series' unusual antagonists. Characters like Vaas Montenegro from "Far Cry 3" or Pagan Min from "Far Cry 4" are among the best-known in the series. A TV adaptation, in particular, could take more time to develop such characters and explore their motivations in greater depth. So the source material doesn't have to be viewed solely as a template for big shootouts and explosions.

The Freedom of the Source Material as an Advantage

Added to this is the open-world structure of the games. "Far Cry" has always been a series in which players could roam relatively freely through their environment, complete side missions, and find their own paths through the story. While this principle can't be applied one-to-one to a TV series, the diverse worlds offer an excellent foundation for different stories.

The decision to tell individual seasons independently of one another could therefore be exactly the right approach. "Far Cry" doesn't have to try to build a series universe that spans years. It's much more interesting to treat each season as its own story, highlighting a different aspect of the franchise each time. In this way, the series could capture exactly what has set the video game series apart for years: new locations, new characters, and new forms of chaos.