girl, thank you SO MUCH for talking so much and in deep dive about the life is strange TV show.
you have single handedly cleared (most of) my worries about them ruining the game (in a lot of the ways D9 ruptured them) and turning them into the capitalist nightmare they had become in some ways as their story got retold and continued.
in reality, I genuinely don’t mind lis, pricefield, max and Chloe being retold over and over again. That shows the reach and power of their love, their story. That’s how impactful it is (their story); that there will always be some sort old inspiration, that someone somewhere out there with the means to will gain from and use to create something almost entirely new with. And the fact that it’s two queer characters… that shit is beautiful.
I just worry about the integrity of it all. Of that story retelling. You know how big companies have misused and disrespected the stories of queer ppl in the past years (even now it happens)… and how hard it is for honest creators to tell the story their own ways… I get worried.
But seeing the information, about the show that I was never going to watch (cuz let them rest, but if it’s a good show then I’m good with it lmao); seeing the actors and directors and show runners… and a lot of them are queer and/or poc 🥹🥹🥹
bro. those ppl understand these complex stories THE MOST. I believe and I feel that they’re going to handle them with so much care bruv 🥹😭
I’m going to watch tatum’s YT show, but even before you said it, I could already see from their vibe in their pics that they embodied max’s muted (and imo, just-bubbling-under-the-surface, cuz she’s still very powerful just quiet about it lol) but strong personality. I’m even worried about Chloe’s spiky but soft personality cuz maisy seems really sugary sweet lol.
no matter what they do, I hope the creators are able to show the love, grief and sacrifice of max and chloe’s story in new and beautiful ways. Even if it doesn’t fit one to one with the game.
I personally love to imagine all these retellings and continuations as different universes ever since I read the comics. I’m replaying the first game after watching Reunion’s gameplay on YT and my love for them is just getting stronger and stronger again and I’m worried but I’m also happy that it could go right honestly.
Thank you for showing me that with your posts. I’m going to look more into the production process as time goes on and I can’t wait to watch the show now honestly. I hope the rest of the directors, etc keep the integrity of their story like Ms. Kasuma.
Oh gosh, thank YOU for writing all this! This ask is so sweet!! 😭
I had my doubts too back in September, mainly because I was so sure the show would never get made after 9 years(!) of development hell, and because Christian Divine's tweet about Dontnod not being involved made me really dread how another team would handle this adaptation. I've been burned before by Netflix's Avatar The Last Airbender, which sucked after waiting for 6 years, so I didn't want to set false expectations.
But then the casting for Max and Chloe came out and it just got me! I LOVE that we have unknown actors so I won't associate Tatum or Maisy with any other character and they can just disappear into their roles. Appearances alone just blew me away-- Tatum literally looks like she was born to play Max. But then I saw her in Meek (tw: SA) and all I saw was Max. She embodies that shyness, awkwardness, discomfort, and slight sass, but also trauma and quiet anger just below the surface, all in 15 minutes. I haven't seen Maisy in My Old Ass yet, but it's on my list. I really adore how sugary sweet Maisy is the videos I've seen of her because I think she'll be someone who will care deeply for the character of Chloe beyond the poorly-worded criticisms that detractors like to throw at her. I can tell from Tatum and Maisy's photos together that they have chemistry, they're so cute 😭 Also, I've said before how simultaneously terrified and excited I am for LiS to get a mainstream press tour-- a part of me is just eager to see two unapologetically queer, Gen Z actresses promote the show!! I want them to become another Hudson Williams and Connor Storrie type duo 😄
As for the show itself, it's really the first game that I miss. The attempted continuations (never read the comics either) haven't done it for me because I always believed in DN's vision of LiS as an anthology series, and because I was uninterested in seeing Pricefield suffer any more after the Bae ending. But, a TV adaptation is a new interpretation. They're creating their own canon, not infringing on Dontnod's or trying to extend canon from Dontnod's work. And since it won't be choice-based, I really hope the showrunners write a new ending that doesn't touch the Bay/Bae moral dilemma of the first game. And if that ending allows for a more natural direct continuation in a season 2 instead of adapting LiS2 or DE, I'd be open to see what that is. Let the show be the show and the game be the game. Even if the show isn't good, we'll always have the game's canon!
@leaderofthebadguys has done amazing work finding interviews with Story Kitchen. She's probably the show's number one fan rn because she's been following for project updates since 2017! I learned from these interviews that Story Kitchen had their eyes on Life is Strange all the way back in 2014! They probably saw a game pitched as a playable indie movie and thought it would be prime material for an adaptation, but nobody could've predicted how much it would blow up. Dmitri M. Johnson had this to say about LiS:
"Life is Strange, there are a lot of big feelings around that one, that's an example of an IP we were involved with since before the first game came out. When these fans are feeling protective, I assure you, we are equally protective."
"There are predatory producers out there who will never play a game... we root for every adaptation. We want them all to work. We just want to make sure they're in the right hands and with people who actually care."
(source, 26:35, 40:15, 42:34)
Mike Goldberg also says that what appealed to them about LiS is that it's the first game to win a Peabody award, its feminist themes, audience of all genders, and "strong LGBTQ+ story." The more news that's coming out about the crew, like Karyn Kusama and Lauren Wolkstein as directors, the more I feel like this show will be in good hands.
Genuinely, I only started posting so much about the TV show because I'm ridiculously hyperfixated on it 😂 But I'm so thrilled it's having some sort of positive impact! Btw, the tag I'm using is #lis live action. Thank you again for such a kind ask!!
