2022 will be a major year for video game adaptations. Shows like The Witcher and Arcane have already set stellar examples of video game concepts in new forms, and that’s only the beginning. Netflix, Paramount+, and HBO Max are hard at work preparing a slate of brand new video game TV shows for release in 2022. Here are some of the year’s most highly-anticipated projects.
‘The Last of Us’ (HBO)
HBO’s The Last of Us is an adaptation of Naughty Dog’s award-winning video game series of the same name. The show follows a hardened apocalypse survivor named Joel (Pedro Pascal), who is tasked with smuggling a 14-year-old girl, Ellie (Bella Ramsey), across the U.S. Years after a mysterious virus turns millions of people into zombies, Ellie is believed to be the cure.
The Last of Us does not yet have an official release date. However, Ramsey seemingly confirmed on social media in January that it would premiere on HBO and HBO Max sometime in 2022.
‘Cyberpunk: Edgerunners’ (Netflix)
After nearly a decade of developing Cyberpunk 2077, CD Projekt Red finally released the video game in 2020. Now, two years later, the Cyberpunk universe is expanding with an anime series.
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners, created by Netflix and anime company Studio Trigger, follows a teen who becomes an edgerunner, a mercenary outlaw, in a technology-heavy future. The anime takes place in the same universe as Cyberpunk 2077 but tells a standalone story.
For now, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners has a vague 2022 release window.
‘Resident Evil’ (Netflix)
Last year, Netflix released a Resident Evil-inspired anime series called Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness. The streaming service will continue to deliver Resident Evil content in 2022, but with a completely new project — a live-action series. The Resident Evil adaptation follows sisters Jade and Billie Wesker in two timelines, before and after the T-virus infects the world.
Netflix accidentally unveiled a brief teaser for the live-action series in December, as Eurogamer reported. The short clip showed what looked to be an infected dog, but it didn’t mention a release date.
‘The Witcher: Blood Origin’ (Netflix)
The Witcher and its spinoff series are technically based on Andrzej Sapkowski’s book series of the same name. However, the video games, which serve as sequels to the books, have played a major role in expanding the franchise.
No matter which media they started with, The Witcher fans everywhere are thrilled to see Netflix’s prequel series, The Witcher: Blood Origin. The episodes will follow the first Witcher’s creation and document the days leading to the Conjunction of the Spheres.
As ComicBook notes, The Witcher: Blood Origin wrapped filming in November, and a teaser (seen above) was released one month later. Netflix will launch the series sometime in 2022.
‘Halo’ (Paramount+)
The TV adaptation of the Halo video games has experienced a rocky road to release. Development started in 2015 at Showtime, but the series cycled through several producers before it could really get moving. Eventually, in 2021, Halo moved from Showtime to Paramount+.
The Halo series will follow a war between humans and an alien group called the Covenant in the 26th century. Paramount+ has yet to announce a release date. However, the show is expected to arrive in early 2022.
Stay tuned to Showbiz Cheat Sheet for more updates on video game TV shows releasing in 2022 and beyond.
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