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Quick Answer: While there seems to be no immediate hope for a live-action feature film based on the Fallout video game franchise, a number of films from the past few decades either provided inspiration for the Fallout games, or were themselves inspired by the video game world.

The post-apocalyptic Fallout video game series has been around since 1997 and exploded in prominence with the 2008 release of Fallout 3. Since then, two more Fallout titles have been released, expanding the scope of an America devastated by nuclear war and immersing players in an adventure-packed atmosphere of survival. In the games, fantastic futuristic technologies have emerged out of necessity, society has modified its norms for sustainability in an increasingly faction-dominated system, mutant humans and animals physically and psychologically altered by radiation roam the landscape, and organized groups operating on different principles endlessly compete for authoritative control of the wastelands. It’s the kind of universe that makes for an almost-obvious transition to the film world, yet no such movie exists. A Fallout film has been discussed several times but the project always gets scrapped.

Fallout 4

Fallout’s aesthetic draws from 1950s pulp sci-fi and the Atomic Age optimism of a nuclear-powered future. Its stories take place over 200 years from now but have a distinct 1950s feel to them, building a unique retro-future world in which nuclear reliance has gone awry. 1950s-style cars litter the landscape, televisions are powered by vacuum tubes, advertisements and brochures resemble post-WWII American propaganda and Art Deco architecture stands in ruin. Meanwhile, laser weapons, plasma guns, power armor and advanced scientific achievements are equally prolific, cleverly fusing a charmingly identifiable past with a bleak future.

In lieu of an official Fallout movie, we have compiled a list of films that will ring familiar to the atmosphere and style of Bethesda’s video game universe. Some of these films have provided a framework for the Fallout games, while Fallout has lent its own inspiration to a few films that have come after.

A Boy and His Dog (1975)

To begin, the strongest and most direct influence on Fallout is the 1975 L.Q. Jones movie A Boy and His Dog. In it, a man traverses the post-apocalyptic desert and evades bands of marauders and mutants, steals and loots to ensure his survival, and does so accompanied by a telepathic dog. In each Fallout game, a canine is available as a traveling companion for the player character and the primary foes are organized bands of criminals and mutated humans. The film stands as the most Fallout-esque picture available given the game series’ direct references.

Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior

Perhaps the other most obvious comparison is the Mad Max series and its depiction of a post-apocalyptic desert wasteland. These films were another primary inspiration for the environment and aesthetic of the games. In the original Fallout game, one of the first pieces of armor offered to the player is a one-sleeved leather jacket strikingly similar to that worn by Mel Gibson in Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981).

The Book of Eli (2010) is a film many believe to be inspired by the game series as it is the closest thing to a post-Fallout spin-off film that exists. Its look and feel are visually familiar to Fallout players, from the sun-bleached desert setting to the crumbling overpasses and buildings. It features the strongest similarities across the board, from characters to behaviors, aesthetic, narrative structure, and tone. Owen Good at Kotaku put together a side-by-side of shots from Fallout 3 and screencaps from The Book of Eli highlighting the visual similarities:

The Book of Eli / Fallout comparison from Kotaku

Then, when you go and create a Denzel Washington-looking character in Fallout 3, the similarities become even more evident:

If you are a Fallout fan losing hope in the possibility of a true Fallout game ever being made, The Book of Eli is one of the best compromises available.

The Road (2009)

Next is The Road (2009) starring Viggo Mortensen. Its bleak stills look like they are pulled straight from the Fallout universe. The film plays as more of a side-story take on the Fallout environment with a protagonist and narrative texture that don’t exactly fit the type of characters seen in Fallout (he’s a bit helpless), but the visual presentation is exquisitely on-point.

Fallout: Nuka Break (2011) is a live-action fan-made web series which “has been watched over 13 million times; Red Star, the short film bridging the gap between seasons 1 and 2, continues to be one of the most popular videos on Machinima. The series has been featured on MTV, Variety, G4, Game Informer, IGN, Kotaku, and TubeFilter.”

The series’ setting is directly drawn from Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas and features a Vault Dweller, his ghoul companion, and a slave they freed from New Vegas—all characters inspired by those found in the games. It stars Zack Finfrock, Aaron Giles and Tybee Diskin, with appearances by sci-fi and fantasy icon Doug Jones.

Will Smith and his canine companion in I Am Legend (2007)

Those who hail from the Washington DC, Las Vegas or Boston areas enjoy roaming the nuclear-wrecked versions of their hometowns in the Fallout games. To that effect, I Am Legend (2007) offers a similar experience for New Yorkers. Its apocalypse may be the work of vampires and not nuclear war, but it still has a guy (and his dog!) wandering alone through a wasteland formerly packed with people.

Kevin Costner in The Postman (1997)

It’s also hard to ignore The Postman (1997), a relatively bad movie with a distinct post-apocalyptic setting. Kevin Costner is a fellow who, in the aftermath of America’s destruction, roams the country delivering old mail. It was released the same year as the first Fallout game so there is surely no direct influence from either one on the other, but it certainly has its moments that look and feel very Fallout in nature.

Six String Samurai (1998)

In Fallout: New Vegas, a player achievement called “New Vegas Samurai” is available with an image based on the Six-String Samurai (1998) movie poster. The achievement is acquired when the player deals more than 10,000 points of damage with melee weapons. Six-String Samurai’s story states that in 1957, World War III ended and America lost to the Soviet Union. The American government collapsed with the exception of the haven known as “Lost Vegas,” ruled by King Elvis. Forty years later, King Elvis dies and radio DJ Keith Mortimer suggests all musicians travel to Lost Vegas to try to become the new King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. A guy named Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon) travels the radioactive landscape with a guitar and a sword.

In Fallout: New Vegas, the last haven of the west is the remains of Las Vegas, known as “New Vegas.” A gang of Elvis-impersonators known as The Kings even exists in its territory, and the referential usage of Six-String Samurai’s title as an in-game achievement indicates the game designers pulled inspiration from the film.

Giant irradiated scorpions in Damnation Alley (1977)

Finally, we turn you towards Damnation Alley (1977), a film wherein two Air Force officers go on a desert road trip from California to Albany, the only city left in America following World War III. In it, the Earth has been tilted off its axis by nuclear detonations of World War III and nuclear radiation is rampant. This is particularly true with insects, and creatures such as giant roaches and scorpions scatter the landscape. Every Fallout player is familiar with radscorpions, the game environment’s huge mutated scorpions, and experiences the pain of radiation and nuclear storms. Damnation Alley surely had a role in the conception of some key Fallout ideas.

There are, of course, many other films set in post-apocalyptic environments which may feel like Fallout on the big screen. What are your favorites?