Rob Mack, Far Cry (2004), Noah Hawley
FX is taking a big leap forward with its live-action Far Cry series, bringing together the unlikely duo of Rob Mack, Philadelphia star and It’s Always Sunny star and co-creator of Alien: Earth and Fargo series mastermind Noah Hawley. The network has ordered a new anthology based on Ubisoft’s long-running series, with each season exploring a different setting and cast. The series will be streamed on Hulu in the US and Disney+ internationally.
Video game giant becomes the next big wave in FX
Rather than tackling one expansive story, FX is leaning into the series’ “new country, new villain, new mayhem” DNA. The anthology format means a clean slate for each season. One year it’s a tropical island, the next it’s a snow-capped fortress. And if the stars really align, we could even see a full-fledged live-action Far Cry Primal chapter featuring Rob Mack wrapped in animal skin and screaming at a mammoth.
Behind the camera (and in front of it) is Rob Mack, creator of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, one of its stars, and executive producer of Welcome to Wrexham. He will star in the film and will produce through his More Better Productions. Mack is teaming up with Noah Hawley to produce through his 26 Keys banner, and his FX resume already includes Fargo and Alien: Earth.
FX Entertainment President Nick Grad expressed confidence in the network, saying in a statement: “FX has had a great partnership with Rob Mack and Noah Hawley for six series and 32 seasons of television, and I couldn’t be more excited to have them team up on Far Cry.” “We believe they will tell this story in an original, engaging and highly entertaining way. We would also like to thank our partners at Ubisoft for entrusting us with this beloved work.”
Rob Mack favors disruption, Hawley aims to reinvent
For Mac, this is more than just a production feat. He really wants to throw himself into one of gaming’s most volatile sandboxes.
“It’s a dream come true to work with Noah Hawley,” Mack said. “Ubisoft has been incredibly generous and entrusted us with one of the most iconic video game worlds ever created, and through it all, my FX family has continued to lift me up with their constant belief and support.”
Hawley believes the franchise is a natural fit for an evolving format each season. “What I love about the Far Cry game series is that it’s an anthology. Each game is a variation on a theme, just like each season of Fargo is a variation on a theme,” he said. “It’s been a dream come true to create a big action show that changes from year to year, constantly exploring human nature through this complex and chaotic lens. We’re thrilled to partner with Rob to bring our shared irreverent and ambitious sensibilities to the screen.”
It’s a meaningful combination. Hawley already has a reputation for twisting familiar genres into something stylish, strange, and unexpectedly emotional. Translate this approach into the world of Far Cry, full of unstable factions, dangerous warlords, and wacky side missions, and there’s plenty of room to get weird.
Ubisoft hands over Chaos Engine
Ubisoft Film & Television is heavily involved in the film adaptation, joining FX Productions. FX’s Far Cry is executive produced by 26 Keys’ Rob Mack, Noah Hawley and Emilia Serrano, 3Arts’ Nick Frenkel, More Better Productions’ Jackie Cohn and John Campisi, and Ubisoft Film & Television’s Gerald Guilmo, Margaret Boykin and Austin Dill. The series is produced by FX Productions.
After more than 20 years of Far Cry and over 100 million players, there’s no shortage of wild backdrops to plunder, including Micronesian islands, African savannahs, Himalayan rebellions, rural America, and Caribbean regimes. The only real question now is what kind of beautiful disaster Holly and Mac will decide on at the beginning. If they lean into the madness instead of sanding it down, this could be one of those rare game adaptations that feels as free and unpredictable as the original.
A look back at gameplay trailers from the mainline series, spanning from 2004’s Far Cry to 2021’s Far Cry 6.
