In a move that’s bound to energize fans of both dystopian sci-fi and video games, Amazon MGM Studios has confirmed development of a Wolfenstein live-action TV series. Best known for its bloody combat, alternate-history setting, and resistance-fueled storytelling, Wolfenstein is one of gaming’s longest-running franchises. Now, with a powerhouse production team behind it, the series is ready to leap from consoles to television screens.

The adaptation will be written and show run by Patrick Somerville, known for his work on Station Eleven and Maniac. Backing him is Kilter Films the same team that delivered Amazon’s acclaimed Fallout series with Jonathan Nolan, Lisa Joy, and Athena Wickham attached as executive producers. Also involved are MachineGames’ Jerk Gustafsson and Keyframe Films’ James Altman, bringing authentic game-to-screen insight.

No casting has been announced, but lets be honest Alan Ritchson is the only choice for BJ and Amazon remains quiet on a release timeline. But one thing’s clear Wolfenstein is not here to play nice.

A Franchise Built on Resistance

The Wolfenstein series first debuted in the early 1980s, with its most famous entry, Wolfenstein 3D (1992), credited with pioneering the first-person shooter genre. Over the decades, the series has evolved especially under the stewardship of MachineGames into a rich, world-building narrative that explores a chilling alternate reality: the Nazis won World War II, and it’s up to a lone American operative to ignite the resistance.

That operative, William “B.J.” Blazkowicz, is the franchise’s enduring hero a grizzled, unapologetically savage soldier with a deep personal vendetta against the Nazi regime. It’s expected that the TV series will focus on Blazkowicz, though Amazon has yet to confirm how closely the show will follow the games’ events.

The show’s official logline doesn’t pull any punches: “The story of killing Nazis is evergreen.”

Creative Team Signals Grit and Prestige

Somerville’s involvement brings prestige to the project. His past work has demonstrated a flair for existential dread, character complexity, and grounded science fiction all qualities that Wolfenstein could benefit from in a television format. Pair that with Kilter Films, the minds behind Amazon’s Fallout a series that succeeded in capturing the absurdity and darkness of its source material and you’ve got a team that understands how to adapt games with heart and bite.

What makes Wolfenstein such a potent candidate for adaptation is its unrelenting tone. The world it imagines is grotesque, cruel, and yet eerily possible an alternate timeline that doesn’t rely on flashy sci-fi gadgets or fantasy tropes, but rather on twisted human ideologies. It’s part historical nightmare, part action thriller, and part emotional drama.

A Risk That Could Pay Off

For Amazon, this move isn’t just about expanding its portfolio it’s a statement of intent. The company is going all-in on video game adaptations. With Fallout becoming one of Prime Video’s biggest hits and God of War and Mass Effect in various stages of development, Wolfenstein adds more firepower to the line-up.

There’s always a risk in adapting video games. While the storytelling has become more cinematic over the years, the core appeal still lies in player agency something TV must translate into compelling character arcs and high-stakes decisions. If handled poorly, it could turn into shallow action. But if done right, Wolfenstein has the potential to be Amazon’s next prestige action drama.

At the heart of it all is a simple, brutal theme: resistance in the face of overwhelming evil. In a world overrun by authoritarian control, Wolfenstein stands as a reminder loud, angry, and unrelenting that some things are still worth fighting for.