Lizzy Caplan Cast in FX’s Far Cry Series as Ubisoft Prestige TV Push Grows
FX’s upcoming Far Cry adaptation has added Lizzy Caplan to the cast. The actress is widely recognized for roles in Freaks and Geeks, Mean Girls, and Cloverfield, and her involvement is a notable step toward turning Ubisoft’s shooter franchise into a prestige TV event.
FX and Ubisoft previously confirmed that Noah Hawley—best known as the showrunner behind Fargo and Alien: Earth—will lead the project. The series is planned as an anthology, meaning each season will present a fresh narrative and a new lineup of characters, echoing the way the games reinvent their premise from entry to entry. At the moment, specifics about what the first season will actually involve are still thin, though the franchise’s DNA is hard to ignore: a distinctive setting and a truly unhinged antagonist.
Caplan’s exact character details are being kept secret for now, but she’ll appear alongside Rob Mac, who stars from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (formerly credited as Rob McElhenney). Mac’s role is also not fully explained yet, but he is set to executive-produce the series as well. Hawley has also said he was drawn to the project because Far Cry’s episodic structure naturally supports a broad range of storytelling options.
The Far Cry casting also reignites a debate about game storytelling
Hawley has compared the franchise’s approach to his own work on Fargo, describing Far Cry as “an anthology.” He said each game functions like a variation on a theme, and that he sees the same kind of flexibility in a season-to-season television format. For Hawley, the goal is building an action-forward series that can still examine the nature of humanity through shifting, chaotic lenses—an idea he called a “dream come true.” He also said he’s looking forward to partnering with Rob and bringing their “irreverent” and “ambitious” sensibilities to the screen.
Earlier this year, Hawley faced criticism after making comments that some interpreted as dismissive of what games can do when it comes to drama. His remarks suggested that games are “built in a way that doesn’t make for the best drama,” and they sparked pushback from players as well as from Alex Hutchinson, the director of Far Cry 4.
Hutchinson responded directly, saying his “biggest problem” was the idea that game stories are pointless. He added that Hawley’s stance isn’t entirely without merit, but pointed out that Hawley’s adaptations of Alien and Fargo also appeared to discard parts of what came before. Hutchinson argued that this approach worked more smoothly in Fargo but didn’t translate as well to Alien, which he described as drifting away from the brand’s strongest elements and becoming something else rather than staying faithful to expectations. In his view, gamers mainly want their love for these stories to be treated with respect rather than brushed off—something he said has happened too often historically.
As of now, there’s still no announced premiere date for Far Cry, and production doesn’t appear to have started yet. Even so, the casting momentum suggests the project may be moving closer to the point where details will finally emerge. On top of the TV adaptation, Ubisoft is also working on a new Far Cry game, though the studio hasn’t officially revealed what that project is yet.
(Photo by Noam Galai/WireImage)
Cade Onder is a freelancer for IGN’s news team. He covers all things entertainment, including gaming, film, and more. You can find him on Twitter @Cade_Onder.
