Paramount+ Bets on Another Video Game Adaptation
Paramount+, the home of the big-budget Halo live-action TV series, is betting on another video game property.
The Paramount Global-backed streamer will be the home of Ark: The Animated Series, which is based on the popular adventure video game Ark: Survival Evolved. The first six episodes of the animated series, which features an all-star voice cast that includes Michelle Yeoh and Vin Diesel, launched March 21 on the platform. Part two of the season will launch its seven-episode run at a date to be determined on Paramount+.
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The Ark series adaptation was first announced in 2020 as production on the show began without a streaming home to release it. The show is described as a “sweeping saga spanning eons of human history. When 21st century paleontologist Helena Walker (Madeleine Madden) finds herself resurrected on a mysterious primeval island populated by prehistoric beasts, she must learn to survive with new allies from throughout time, while trying to uncover the true nature of their strange new world.
The cast also includes Russell Crowe, Gerard Butler, David Tennant, Jeffrey Wright and Elliot Page.
The Ark game was launched in 2015 by Studio Wildcard and sold north of 1 million units in its first month alone.
The Ark animated series is produced by Lost Continent Entertainment and Lex + Otis. Game directors Jeremy Stieglitz and Jesse Rapczak, as well as Marc Diana, Doug Kennedy, Jay Oliva, James Baldanzi, Diesel, Samantha Vincent, Butler, Alan Siegel and Crowe exec produce. Stieglitz, Oliva, David Hartman and Sebastian Montes direct the series, which was co-written by Marguerite Bennett and Kendall Deacon Davis. ARK: Survival Evolved is an original creation of game developer.
Paramount+ has spent years working on its Halo TV series, with the show’s second season having recently debuted on the service. Video game adaptations, like HBO’s The Last of Us, have become increasingly popular as they provide a built-in fanbase of dedicated gamers as well as a trusted source of IP that has already proven successful. Paramount+ simply licensed The Ark, rather than signing on as a co-producer, so the swing isn’t as big.
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