#lis tv

If you're like me and want to check out the Life is Strange live action cast's previous works before the show drops, I've compiled them here! Including specific episodes, platform, ratings, and genre.

This is not a comprehensive list, only the cast's more recent works that they had big roles in, which will be closest to how they will look and act in Life is Strange. Their IMDbs will be linked if you want to see their full filmography. Happy viewing!

Tatum Grace Hopkins (Max)

Meek (short film, YouTube, unrated, drama, tw: SA)

Maisy Stella (Chloe)

My Old Ass (film, Amazon Prime, R, coming-of-age)

The End of Oak Street (upcoming film, unrated, sci-fi/adventure)

Esther McGregor (Rachel)

Obi-Wan Kenobi (TV series, episode: "Part II," Disney+, TV-14, sci-fi)

High School (TV series, Amazon Prime, TV-14, coming-of-age drama)

Babygirl (film, HBO or Hulu, R, thriller)

We Were Liars (TV series, Amazon Prime, TV-14, drama/thriller)

Clean Hands (upcoming film, unrated, crime drama)

Mia Isaac (Kate)

Don't Make Me Go (film, Amazon Prime, R, drama)

Not Okay (film, Hulu, R, comedy/drama)

Gray Matter (film, HBO, PG-13, sci-fi)

American Horror Stories (TV series, episode: "X," Hulu, horror)

Black Cake (limited TV series, Hulu, TV-MA, drama)

Emily Carey (Victoria)

Get Even (TV series, Netflix, TV-PG, thriller)

Geek Girl (TV series, Netflix, TV-PG, drama)

Platform 7 (TV series, Amazon Prime, TV-MA thriller)

House of the Dragon (TV series, HBO, TV-MA, fantasy)

Billy Barratt (Nathan)

Invasion (TV series, Apple TV, TV-MA, sci-fi)

Bring Her Back (film, HBO or Hulu, R, horror)

Gone (TV series, YouTube TV, TV-MA, drama)

The Chaperones (upcoming film, unrated, comedy/drama)

Faly Rakotohavana (Warren)

Secret Society of Second Born Royals (film, Disney+, PG, adventure)

Unprisoned (TV series, Hulu, TV-MA, comedy/drama)

Tom Cullen (Jefferson)

Black Mirror (TV series, episode: "The Entire History of You," Netflix, TV-MA, sci-fi)

Knightfall (TV series, Netflix, TV-14, historical drama)

Becoming Elizabeth (TV series, Amazon Prime, TV-MA, historical drama)

Downton Abbey (TV series, Netflix, TV-PG, historical drama)

House of the Dragon (TV series, HBO, TV-MA, fantasy)

Leisha Hailey (Joyce)

The L Word (TV series, Paramount+ or Hulu, TV-MA, drama)

The L Word: Generation Q (TV series, Paramount+ or Hulu, TV-MA, drama)

Raúl Castillo (David)

Looking (TV series, HBO, TV-MA, drama)

Atypical (TV series, Netflix, TV-14, coming-of-age)

American Horror Stories (TV series, episode: "Organ," Hulu, horror)

Class of '09 (limited TV series, Hulu, TV-MA, thriller)

Task (TV series, HBO, TV-MA, crime drama)

The Walking Dead: Dead City (TV series, Netflix, TV-MA, apocalyptic horror)

Owen Teague (Frank)

IT: Chapter One (film, HBO or Amazon Prime, R, horror)

IT: Chapter Two (film, HBO or Amazon Prime, R, horror)

Black Mirror (TV series, episode: "Arkangel," Netflix, TV-MA, sci-fi)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (film, Hulu, PG-13, sci-fi/adventure)

The Whisper Man (upcoming film, Netflix, unrated, crime thriller)

Evil Genius (upcoming film, unrated, thriller)

No, not at all! I love these types of questions, so feel free to ask!

For changing a character’s gender: it could work, but it would require massively rewriting or rethinking the show. Max and Chloe work as female protagonists because LiS is a game that condemns misogyny and sexual assault and the main villain is a male sexual predator. The opposite scenario can exist, but statistically, female victims are more common. It would also change how the audience clocks the queerness, since male Pricefield would be way more obvious if they were holding hands and sleeping in the same bed by halfway through the story. On a meta level, LiS was special for having two queer female protagonists in a video game in 2015; that was part of its selling appeal. That would be lost if Max was a boy.

In my TV show brain dump, I actually am hoping for some race swaps to diversify the cast, because LiS1 had an almost all white cast. The only POC were side characters who didn’t influence the plot much (Wells, Ms. Grant, Brooke, Stella, Hayden, etc). The characters that I thought couldn’t be race-swapped were:

Jefferson: not only would changing the main villain to a POC be horrible misrepresentation, Jefferson’s character relies on his white male privilege to work. He’s a rich and famous artist who was able to pose as a harmless hipster teacher and manipulate his victims.

Nathan: same reason, his character is built around his privilege, but his family also reeks of “white politician who needs to keep up appearances” which was why they neglected his mental health until it was too late.

David: he’s a paranoid, right-wing war veteran. His views on guns, recreational drugs, women’s rights, and child rearing (like thinking it’s okay to hit Chloe) are exactly why he clashes with Chloe.

That’s why I was surprised when Raul Castillo was cast as David. There’s a risk of depicting a man of color as an unsavory, sexist, conservative, generally unlikable guy for audiences who are less likely to give him a chance. However, like I said in an earlier post, it’s not like non-European cultures are exempt from sexism and homophobia. I don’t think the white showrunners will dive into the topic of conservatism in Latin American culture specifically, but it’s not the most egregious change in the world either. We don’t know how his character might differ from the game version yet.

Characters I do think can afford to be race-swapped are Kate, Victoria, and Warren (and Max and Chloe, if they hadn’t already been cast). Their race doesn’t affect their individual plots. I’d hesitate on Rachel (see here), because her canon story (being groomed, drugged, and murdered) just feels extra cruel to put a young girl of color through and audiences are gonna be extra unfair to her. For people I’ve seen on social media whining that appearances are important— no they’re not, it’s about how well an actor can bring their character to life, and I’m sick of people saying that Maisy Stella’s height will ruin her portrayal of Chloe. Give her a chance! For counterarguments about the setting: yes, it’s rural Oregon, but Blackwell is an expensive private boarding school with students from all over the country, and it’s not like rural Oregon is a racial monolith either.

For making straight characters queer- hell yeah, this series can never be too gay! I already think it’s funny that Leisha Hailey (an out lesbian irl who’s been on The L Word) is playing Joyce. I joked before, why not make Warren gay as a treat? Then he doesn’t have to be the pathetic nerdy boy with an unrequited crush (because I’m positive Pricefield will be canon in this show).

FOUR new actors were announced today for the Life is Strange TV show on Amazon Prime. We got all of the major adult characters!

Tom Cullen and Owen Teague are probably the biggest names on the project so far. Cullen and Teague have been on Black Mirror, Cullen will be in House of the Dragon season 3 and has also been in Downton Abbey. Teague has also been in both IT movies. What I'm most surprised by is that Owen Teague was born in 1998, so Frank is going to be young, way younger in this adaptation. I have a feeling the show might delve more into Rachel's history with Frank via flashbacks if that's the case.

Leisha Hailey is a musician and was in The L Word. She definitely could pass for Maisy Stella (Chloe)'s mom, but a lesbian actress playing a straight mother is a... choice 😅 But hey, more queer talent on this project!

Raúl Castiilo is known for being on Looking on HBO and will be in The Walking Dead: Dead City, which Lauren Wolkstein (a recently confirmed director of Life is Strange) will also be involved in. His casting is the first to not match the race of the original character, which makes me wonder if David will still be an uptight conservative man in the show, how Chloe might clash with him in different ways, or if he'll even have the last name "Madsen." Joel and Tommy were played by Hispanic men in The Last of Us on HBO, but race played a smaller role in the post-apocalyptic setting to the point where their characters background and personality were unchanged from the games, so I really have no clue what TV David will be like.

The season itself:

We could get a theme song/opening credits!!! The first poster made me imagine a title sequence of Tatum-as-Max putting up Polaroids of each cast member on her wall, with closeups showing the actors' names next to their character's photo. Then end on the logo. I could see either "To All of You" or the iconic main menu theme as the theme tune for this show.

Alternatively, we could get an animated title sequence based on the first trailers for the game in that loose, sketchy style. Crumpled paper backgrounds, pen sketches, watercolors fading into the lineart, writing sound effects, and a tape effect. It would also give the show audience a chance to see art of the game version of the characters.

I could see this being an 8 or 10-episode season, so it wouldn't follow the exact plot beats of the game. The events of Chrysalis could be split into two-- the reveal of Chloe in the truck and the "Max?" "Chloe?" exchange could be a perfect cliffhanger to end the first episode.

I think Kate's gonna die. Sorry. Her character is set up too perfectly to be the sacrificial lamb that really raises the stakes. First-time viewers will view her death as an "oh shit, this isn't some cutesy high school show anymore" moment just like first-time players in 2015.

The show team has the benefit of setting up Pricefield way earlier and making it way more overt than the game! Really amp up the tension and flirting so that Pricefield is on par with Amberprice and Chenrich or any of the Lost Records ships. The pool scene is rife with opportunity for either funny awkward moments or seriously shippy moments than Max and Chloe's nonchalance from the game. With all that buildup, by the time the kiss happens Chloe's can say something like, "Dude, just do it" instead of "I dare you to kiss me" and she does NOT back away this time. They have an actual, drawn-out kiss and Chloe's remarkably quiet and in shock afterward, but before they can actually discuss their feelings, the truth about Rachel comes out.

I wouldn't mind if the show features a new licensed soundtrack in the same genre. The needle drops and TV-style montages and camera effects are cool in a video game, but kinda derivative in an actual show. Instead of shot-for-shot recreations, I'd love to see the team try something new. If they use any songs from the games, maybe "To All of You," "Obstacles," "Spanish Sahara," or "Max and Chloe."

Don't try to act smarter than the game. Embrace the most iconic lines: "You got hella cash" "Go fuck your selfie" "Oh man are you cereal?" "Amazeballs!" "Ready for the moshpit, shaka brah" "I WAS EATING THOSE BEANS!" and say them PROUDLY!!

Changes from game to show:

I think Max's power will be nerfed and only be used during pivotal story moments in the show. Even in the later LiS games, there's a learning curve where Daniel and Alex have to train and learn to control their powers. Instead of mastering Rewind instantly in a gameplay tutorial, Max learning to harness her power, aided by Chloe, could be stretched out throughout the season to go along with both of their character arcs.

For example, Max meets Chloe in the diner because she doesn't know how to reactivate her rewind after saving Chloe's life and they figure that out together. It would also make Chloe look better because she's not just dragging Max around to shoot bottles and overuse Max's power. Then, Max's Rewind kicks in again just before the train runs Chloe over. Just imagine how badass it would look in live action to see Max rewinding an entire train! For dramatic effect, they could show the physical toll it takes on Max beyond nosebleeds, like how Daniel had to really focus and "push" his telekinesis in LiS2.

I think photo jumping still needs to be in the show, but the way it's introduced and implemented in the story should be different. You simply can't recreate that earth-shattering plot twist of the alt timeline with Chloe in the wheelchair, so maybe don't adapt that part at all and introduce it in a new way. Also, "Polarized" was hurt by its smaller budget and led to that confusing, timeline-hopping mess followed by a nightmare sequence with a ton of reused locations. I think if the show takes any liberties, it should be with the alt timeline and the ending. I'd really like to see a brand new take on the last episode and a new chain of events that lead Chloe and Max at the lighthouse right before the tornado strikes.

Costuming: I am so excited to see new outfits for the whole cast! LiS1 was pretty limited with their models, so everyone basically wore variations of the same outfit for the whole game. But now we can see Max in more than just her hoodie and jeans and Chloe in just her jacket and skull tank. Max has a ton of unused outfits in her concept art, and we see her in alt outfits in the in-game photos, like this one:

I really hope Maisy actually cuts and dyes her hair for this role, cause a wig is just gonna look bad no matter what. Also, keep the 2013 setting, outdated outfits be damned!

I hope they flesh out the town of AB more. It's easier to find shooting locations than it is to render environments in a game engine. The school, beach, junkyard, neighborhoods could all be bigger, but I really hope they don't skimp out on the set design since DN is so good at that. I want Chloe's room to feel as lived-in as the game version.

Since all the characters are 18+ anyway, I wouldn't mind if Blackwell became Blackwell College/University and Max is aged up to a college first-year. They were essentially already boarding students with a college-like class schedule and frat parties.

Cinematography: DN took a lot of inspiration from indie films to shoot and light the game, such as backlit shots and LOTS of golden hour. I really hope there's thoughtful, artsy lighting and camera work in this show that doesn't use the diffused, flat "Netflix lighting" we see in so many shows nowadays. Also, the lower fidelity models meant that Dontnod didn't use tight close-ups on character's faces when they couldn't emote or move their lips as well, but Lost Records shows that they love their close-ups. The benefit of live-action means we can have lots of close-ups on the actors where their faces tell the story than just dialogue. Tatum already has an impressive take of her facial acting at the end of her short film "Meek" on Youtube (tw: SA)

Casting:

I'd love it if the cast was mostly unknowns with one big name actor- I feel like it's gotta be an A-lister for Jefferson, or maybe Joyce. I could also see Nathan being a more famous young actor as a red herring for the real villain.

I know certain sections of the fandom will melt down over it, but I hope they cast POC for some of the white side characters. The first game was overwhelmingly white, and even though it was set in rural Oregon, the main setting is a rich private boarding school with students from all over the country, so they could definitely afford to diversify the cast there.

Like TLOU, it would be really cool if the game VA's could reprise their roles or play original characters: Cissy Jones could play Joyce since she looks similar enough to Maisy. Super minor, but Principal Wells and Mrs. Grant could probably be played by their original VAs. Actors like Dayeanne Hutton, Nik Shriner, etc. could probably play nameless Arcadia Bay residents.

Ashly Burch could be an Arcadia resident or the only normal, nice teacher at Blackwell who actually remembers Chloe fondly when she was a student there.