Six months ago, it was announced that Amazon’s Prime Video had given the greenlight to a TV series adaptation of the Life Is Strange video game franchise. Two weeks ago, we learned that Maisy Stella (My Old Ass) and Tatum Grace Hopkins (Meek) are set to star in the series. Now, Variety has broken the news that the first two episodes of the show are going to be directed by Karyn Kusama, whose credits include Jennifer’s Body, The Invitation, and Girlfight.
Logline
The Life Is Strange TV series will follow Max, a photography student, who discovers she can rewind time while saving the life of her childhood best friend, Chloe. As she struggles to understand this new skill, the pair investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student, uncovering a dark side to their town that will ultimately force them to make an impossible life or death choice that will impact them forever.
Stella and Hopkins play Chloe and Max, respectively.
Charlie Covell will write, executive produce, and showrun the series, with Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg, and Timothy I. Stevenson executive producing via their Story Kitchen studio. Square Enix, Story Kitchen, LuckyChap, and Amazon MGM Studios produce the Life Is Strange TV series.
Kusama
In addition to the films mentioned above, Kusama has directed Æon Flux, a segment of the horror anthology XX, Destroyer, and episodes of the TV shows Yellowjackets, Dead Ringers, The Consultant, The Mysterious Benedict Society, In Treatment, The Outsider, Halt and Catch Fire, Billions, The Man in the High Castle, Masters of Sex, Casual, Chicago Fire, and The L Word.
I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about Life Is Strange beyond what my fellow JoBlo writers Tyler Nichols and Steve Seigh have said about it.
Tyler said, “The Life Is Strange video game series is a peculiar one. After having a hit first game, it’s really struggled to match that same quality with followups: Before the Storm, The Awesome Adventure of Captain Spirit, Life is Strange 2, True Colors, and Double Exposure all being rather middle of the road. They’ve just been unable to recapture the spirit of the first game. Which is really too bad, as the original is one of my favorite games of all time and a very unique experience. One that I’m not entirely sure would translate to other forms of media.”
Steve said, “Words cannot describe how much I love the Life Is Strange video game series. While the games vary in quality, the original game was something of a revelation for choose-your-own-adventure-style gameplay. Some players roll their eyes at the game’s cheesy one-liners and teen angst, but I revel in it.“
I’m not familiar with the source material, but I am a fan of Karyn Kusama’s work (I’ll overlook Æon Flux because I love Jennifer’s Body), so Life Is Strange has caught my attention by hiring her to direct the first two episodes.
Are you a fan of Life Is Strange? What do you think of Karyn Kusama signing on to direct the first two episodes? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
The comment section exists to allow readers to discuss the article constructively and respectfully, focused on the topic at hand.
What’s Not Allowed