Noah Hawley, the executive and executive producer behind the upcoming Far Cry TV series, recently shared a vision for the project that might unsettle long-time fans. Hawley revealed—and then quickly retracted—that he intends to treat the franchise as an anthology, meaning the show will not be a direct adaptation of any existing game titles.

An Anthology Approach to the Far Cry TV Series

Hawley's goal is to use the franchise to tell new stories with unique settings and characters in every season. He wants to explore the concept of "civilized people thrown into situations where they have to become increasingly uncivilized," according to his comments to Deadline.

Rather than following a strict game canon, Hawley intends to have a "dialogue" with the franchise. He noted that his approach is similar to what he did with his work on the Fargo series, Legion, and Alien: Earth.

The Difficulty of Adapting Gameplay

The showrunner also highlighted the structural challenges of moving from a game to a screen adaptation. Hawley pointed out that the way players interact with gameplay versus cutscenes can often make human drama feel irrelevant.

"When you play a videogame, you only really move forward through the gameplay section, and then you have these cutscenes that you can skip," Hawley said. He noted that failing to account for this dynamic could lead to "death for a show."

Pushback From Far Cry Developers

Hawley's creative direction hasn't been met with universal praise. Many players within the Far Cry subreddit have expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of direct adaptation.

Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Far Cry 4, also shared his reservations on X (formerly Twitter) on April 24, 2026. While he noted that he likes Hawley's work, he admitted the news was a bit of an "ouch" moment for the community.

Finding the Core Formula

Despite the controversy, there is a compelling argument for Hawley's vision. The Far Cry TV series could succeed by focusing on the core elements that define the franchise:

  • A protagonist caught in a high-stakes situation.
  • The inevitable application of extreme violence.
  • The breakdown of social order and civilization.

While some fans point to Vaas from Far Cry 3 as the pinnacle of the series, others find the chaotic ending of Far Cry 5 to be the true highlight. If Hawley can capture that feeling of a crumbling veneer of civilization, the specific setting may matter less than the atmosphere.