Square Enix Is Bringing ‘Final Fantasy’ To TV
Iconic video game series “Final Fantasy” is making its way to live-action for the first time. Variety reports that Sony Pictures Television and Square Enix plan to bring the 32-year-old role-playing game franchise to life with a new television series. Little else is known about the project, including when it may premiere and where it’ll eventually air, but the mere existence of the project is sure to be momentous for fans of the games.
“Final Fantasy” has had 15 main installments since its debut in 1987, each one set in a new fantasy world with a new cast of characters, with little linking them beyond iconography and recurring themes. This new series will tell an original story in the world of “Eorzea,” the main setting of “Final Fantasy XIV.” Unlike the most mainline entries in the series, “XIV” is a massively-multiplayer online RPG, in the vein of “World of Warcraft.” After a troubled initial launch in 2010, the game was redone from the ground-up and re-launched in 2013, now subtitled “A Realm Reborn.” The relaunch was a success, and the game has gone on to be one of the most popular MMO’s on the market, with over 16 million players as of May.
The synopsis for the show is vague at this early stage, with only the vague description that it will follow “…the struggle between magic and technology in a quest to bring peace to a land in conflict.” Series staples like airships, chocobos, beastmen, and magitek will be featured in the show.
The franchise has made its way to other mediums many times over the years, though only ever in animated capacities. These have included direct-to-video projects like “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children” in 2005 and “Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV” in 2016. These were preceded by the theatrical release, “Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within” in 2001. The film featured state-of-the-art motion-capture animation, but was a massive flop, grossing only $85 million worldwide on a $137 million budget.
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