Nobody says “War Never Changes” quite like this beloved actor.
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for ‘Fallout’ Season 1
The Big Picture
- Prime Video has renewed the
Fallout
series to rave reviews, sparking new interest in the game franchise. - Ron Perlman, a staple in
Fallout
games’ narration, could and should make a cameo in the TV adaptation. - Previous adaptations show that voice actors returning in live-action adaptations can enhance the story.
Rejoice, Wastelanders! Prime Video’s Fallout series has been officially renewed by Prime Video, paving the way for future stories for what has been widely praised as one of the best video game adaptations ever made. It’s abundantly clear that the internet has got a case of Fallout fever, as both critics and audiences agree that the show is a stellar representation of one of gaming’s most beloved franchises. Not only that, but the show’s popularity has sparked renewed interest in the existing entries of the Fallout games, as more people are playing the games now than ever before.
Prime Video’s Fallout is also packed to the brim with almost too many Easter eggs and references to count. Practically every single game in the Fallout saga is represented in some way within the canonical show, featuring creatures, organizations, locations, and more that have been iconic for years. The show is a labor of love by people who truly love and respect the source material, which is why an iconic actor from every mainline entry in the series needs to appear in Season 2.
Fallout
In a future, post-apocalyptic Los Angeles brought about by nuclear decimation, citizens must live in underground bunkers to protect themselves from radiation, mutants and bandits.
- Release Date
- April 11, 2024
- Cast
- Moises Arias , Johnny Pemberton , Walton Goggins , Kyle MacLachlan
- Main Genre
- Sci-Fi
- Seasons
- 1
- Creator(s)
- Graham Wagner , Geneva Robertson-Dworet
- Producer
- Lisa Joy, Jonathan Nolan
- Streaming Service(s)
- Prime Video
Ron Perlman Has Appeared in Every Main ‘Fallout’ Game
Even before the franchise’s recent boost in popularity, there have been quite a few big name stars who have starred in the Fallout games over the years. This includes Liam Neeson as the player character’s dad in Fallout 3, Malcolm McDowell as the evil AI leader of The Enclave, Matthew Perry as a two-bit New Vegas gangster, Zachary Levi as a charismatic scientist, and even Wayne Newton as post-apocalyptic Nevada’s favorite radio host. All of them are welcome additions to the Fallout series, but one name has been present for every single one of them – Ron Perlman. Well, almost every one, as Perlman did not appear in the notorious spin-off game, Fallout: Brotherhood of Steel, but we’ll just go ahead and pretend that game never happened.
Ron Perlman, of course, requires no introduction, as he has a long and prestigious history in the film and television industry. Some of his most iconic roles include Vincent in the 1987 Beauty and the Beast series, Hellboy in Guillermo del Toro‘s Hellboy duology, and Pernell Harris in Prime Video’s Hand of God. Those are just a few examples of his physical acting work, as his iconic voice has also been regularly used for many a voice-over role. These prestigious examples include Clayface in Batman: The Animated Series, Mr. Laner in Danny Phantom, and Slade in Teen Titans.
Ron Perlman Usually Plays the Narrator in the ‘Fallout’ Games
Every Fallout game since the 1997 original typically begins with an opening cutscene that sets up the game’s particular setting and story. The narration for almost all of those scenes is provided by Ron Perlman, portraying a nameless character that gives players a basic introduction to the post-apocalyptic Wasteland of Fallout. In addition to that, though, the first Fallout is one of the few times that Perlman plays a character outside just the opening narrator. The original game also has Perlman star as Butch Harris, who runs a caravan trading company in New California.
Ron Perlman’s narration would ultimately become a staple in the long-running franchise. Perlman provides the epic voice-over dialogue for the subsequent entries of Fallout 2, Fallout 3, and Fallout: New Vegas. Those playing Fallout 4 for the first time may be a bit dismayed to see that Perlman doesn’t provide the opening narration for the game, with the voice instead belonging to the player character (Brian T. Delaney). Don’t worry though, as he does still make an appearance within the game’s first few minutes, playing a terrified news anchor in pre-war Boston right before the bombs fell. Thankfully, Perlman returns to his regular post as narrator for the most recent entry, Fallout 76.
With Ron Perlman’s long history with the franchise and the fact that he’s a well-established name, he seems like a perfectly suitable candidate for a cameo, at the very least, in the Fallout television show. If Season 2 still follows suit with Season 1, then there will likely be plenty of room for cameo appearances. This past season already includes some pretty incredible ones, such as comedian Michael Rapaport as the cowardly Knight Titus and CHiPs star Erik Estrada as a scavenger named Adam.
Is ‘Fallout’ Setting Up This Major ‘New Vegas’ Storyline With Moldaver?
Season 2 could be setting up the biggest conflict in ‘Fallout’ history.
Ron Perlman Returning to ‘Fallout’ Wouldn’t be the First Time a Voice Actor Returned for a Video Game Adaptation
Perlman rejoining the world of Fallout for the live-action series would undoubtedly be welcomed by fans, and the idea of a video game voice actor returning for a live-action adaption does hold water. There are plenty of examples of beloved voice actors either reprising the same role they played in the original game or stopping by for a fun cameo. Even the weakest video game adaptations manage to stick the landing with these types of appearances, such as Jen Taylor reprising her role as Master Chief’s (Pablo Schrieber) AI companion Cortana in Paramount+’s Halo or Nolan North‘s on-the-nose cameo when he meets the live-action Nathan Drake (Tom Holland) in the Uncharted movie.
Perhaps some of the strongest examples of voice actors returning for a live-action adaptation can be seen in HBO’s Emmy Award-winning The Last of Us. Firstly, the game’s voice actor for the Firefly leader Marlene, Merle Dandridge, reprises the exact same role for the live-action series. The voice actors for the title characters of Joel and Ellie do not play the same parts, with those instead going to Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey, but they do make an appearance in the show. Original Joel actor Troy Baker portrays the second in command to the brutal commune leader David (Scott Shepherd), and Ellie’s voice actor Ashley Johnson plays what could be the most clever cameo in the show by playing Ellie’s mother.
The Last of Us is an excellent example that voice actors returning for a video game adaptation can not only be fun fan service but can also make for an appearance that enhances an adaptation’s story. That’s something that Fallout should definitely consider going forward, as bringing back Ron Perlman seems like a no-brainer. Also, if Fallout really is going to New Vegas for Season 2, we wouldn’t say no to Wayne Newton reprising his role as Mr. New Vegas too.
Fallout Season 1 is available to stream on Prime Video.
Watch on Prime Video
This article was originally published on collider.com