Jonah Nolan has done a masterful job with the Fallout Prime TV show, and many have praised his artistry in translating the game series into live-action in such a seamless way.
Speaking about the show, Bethesda’s Todd Howard and showrunner Jonathan Nolan sat down for a recent interview to talk about some of its behind-the-scenes aspects that you’ll find intriguing. There was one question that Nolan refused to answer, and it only made people more curious.
Jonah Nolan Refuses to Answer Questions About the Ghoul
In a recent interview with IGN, Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan gave us great insight into the Fallout TV show. While most questions were answered, there was one particular inquiry that fans wanted to know.
Directed at Nolan, the question asked if Cooper Howard, a character in the show, was named after Todd Howard. Nolan simply replied:
No comment.
However, Nolan spoke more about the origins of Cooper, The Ghoul, and the collaborative process that led to his creation.
He recounted discussions with other team members, specifically Graham, Geneva, and Todd, where they dove into the franchise’s intricate lore.
They were excited to explore Cooper’s character; it was an opportunity to insert depth and satire into the show’s storyline.
When we knew the show was set in Los Angeles and the kind of ruins of Hollywood, the idea of Cooper as this figure embroiled in a kind of a Red Scare McCarthy-like moment in this bizarro alternate future was kind of too delicious for us to pass up.
They felt it was a golden opportunity to take the satire seen in the games and portray it in Vault-Tec. Nolan describes it as “one of the most exciting things that we got a chance to do.”
Nolan said the team wanted to push the boundaries by going into the implications of artistic compromise in a dystopian future, encouraging the viewers to ponder on it:
So I think picking up the mantle of the satire from the games and trying to direct it back towards Vault-Tec was one of the most exciting things that we got a chance to do.
So, while it unfortunately looks like we won’t get the answer to the origin behind Cooper’s name, it’s interesting to see the thought that went into his character.
A Dive Into Walton Goggins’ Ghoul
Jonah Nolan spoke in-depth about The Ghoul, the character’s journey, and the dynamics and moral complexities we see in the TV show.
He described Ghoul’s evolution as an ongoing narrative thread, remarking, “He’s seen the whole story,” as he was alive before the nukes even dropped.
This decision allowed the team to present a more nuanced take on Ghoul’s moral trajectory.
We see him go from a fundamentally decent individual (through his interactions with his daughter) to one that’s evil, shaped by the post-apocalyptic wasteland that’s essentially a dog-eat-dog world.
What do you think about The Ghoul? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
