The popular Final Fantasy video game series is making its way to the streamers in the form of a live action television series, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Hivemind, who produces Amazon’s The Expanse will work in conjunction with Sony Pictures Television and Square Enix to produce the series. It will center on a world called Eorzea, which fans of the game would recognize from Final Fantasy XIV.
Final Fantasy has captured the heart of its fans through a mixture of extremely engaging storylines, complex gameplay mechanics, and ethereal landscapes. All of the games contained separate plots and characters, keeping its fanbase satisfied. In the same vein, the series will borrow some recurring ideas and characters, while placing them in a new context. According to Hivemind’s co-president Jason Brown, “Television is the ideal medium to capture the extraordinary depth, sophisticated themes, and unparalleled imagination of FINAL FANTASY and its multitude of unique and fully realized characters.”
The series will include all of the things that Final Fantasy fans love: characters that have appeared over Final Fantasy’s 32-year run, airships, magic, and Chocobos. Some recurring characters, such as Cid, will also make an appearance in the show, although not many other details have been revealed about the show. The logline states that the series will follow “the struggle between magic and technology in a quest to bring peace to a land in conflict.”
The game series has had many iterations and on top of the upcoming television series, Square Enix has been working on some Final Fantasy remakes, as well as a game subscription service. Most recently, Square Enix announced remastered version of one of the most popular games in the series: Final Fantasy VII, as well as Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. These remakes will be made available some time this year.
Chris Parnell, co-president of Sony Pictures Television, stated that the series will be “for longtime fans and newcomers alike,” adding that, “This show is about embracing and embodying all of the elements that have made the mythos such an endlessly captivating phenomenon, and it’s an immense honor to be bringing all of Eorzea’s iconic characters, settings, and concepts – including fan-favorites like Cid and, of course, the chocobos – to life for a television audience.”
Although the popular game series has been made into various animated films over the years, this will be not only the first live-action adaptation, but also the first television series. The most popular FF film was Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, which featured voice acting from popular actors such as Alec Baldwin and Steve Buscemi. However, it bombed at the box office, leaving room for improvement. Fans are hoping the television series will do just that.
This won’t be the only game adaptation for TV. Showtime will also be making adaptations of Halo, and Ubisoft has also been developing TV version of Skull & Bones ahead of its game release. No streamer nor date has been specified for the release of this series.