Prime Video’s TV adaptation of Life Is Strange has found its director in Jennifer’s Body director Karyn Kusama. More on that below. Update: The Life Is Strange TV adaptation is moving ahead nicely as Variety reports that Jennifer’s Body director Karyn Kusama has joined the project as the director of the first two episodes. She’ll ... Prime Video’s Life Is Strange adaptation sets director
Prime Video’s TV adaptation of Life Is Strange has found its director in Jennifer’s Body director Karyn Kusama. More on that below.
Update: The Life Is Strange TV adaptation is moving ahead nicely as Variety reports that Jennifer’s Body director Karyn Kusama has joined the project as the director of the first two episodes. She’ll also be an executive producer.
Kusama has also directed episodes for shows like Yellowjackets, Dead Ringers and Billions to mention a few. She’s also directed films like the excellent The Invitation, the Nicole Kidman-starring Destroyer as well as Æon Flux, which we’d rather not talk about.
Our original story follows…
Last year, we learned that Prime Video would be adapting the Life Is Strange video game into a TV series, following the immense success of their Fallout series.
It’s been a little quiet on that front since then, but news has now broken – thanks Variety! – that the TV show has found its leads. Maisy Stella and Tatum Grace Hopkins will play Grace and Max in the adaptation which will be written and executive produced by Charlie Covell who will also serve as showrunner.
Life Is Strange will follow Hopkins’ Max, “a photography student, who discovers she can rewind time while saving the life of her childhood best friend, Chloe (Stella). 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.”
The Life Is Strange franchise comes from Square Enix and the first game was released in 2015. It was followed by another three main chapters with the fifth and final instalment scheduled for release in March 2026. You’ve also got a prequel, Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, and a Life Is Strange 2 spin-off, The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit.
For Hopkins, Life Is Strange will mark her TV debut. She’s an established stage actor, but can also been seen in the short film Meek. Stella is perhaps better known for her music, but you might have spotted her in the acclaimed 2024 comedy My Old Ass opposite Aubrey Plaza.
There’s definitely a lot of material to work with for a show that could run for years. However, not only are the Life Is Strange games incredibly popular with a fervent fan base, they’re also choice-based games. Throughout the game, players are faced with choices which alter the game’s plot and outcome, so making a version that pleases everyone is difficult to say the least. David F. Sandberg was faced with a similar problem when adapting Until Dawn and the result was… disappointing, shall we say.
There’s still no release window for Life Is Strange, but things seem to be moving forward steadily so hopefully we’ll have more news on that soon enough. We’ll keep you updated.
Meanwhile, both seasons of Fallout are streaming on Prime Video and they’re well worth your time if you need to scratch that video game adaptation itch.
