Amazon Nearing Deal For Mass Effect Series

It is an interesting time for TV, not only with a large number of streaming platforms which leads to Paramount annoying international Star Trek: Discovery fans or simply adaptations of everything going. However, the whole landscape is in this shift with the concept that each company or platform is competing for your time, which you might be limiting. So their most aggressive strategy seems to be adopting more and more of your favorite properties: Sonic, The Wheel of Time, The Boys, Bridgerton, The Witcher, The Man in the High Castle, Cowboy Bebop, and even The Invisible Life of Addie Larue. However, it seems Amazon wants to expand into games.

Amazon Studios’ Jennifer Salke spoke with Deadline about all things Prime video and The Wheel of Time which premiered last week, and let slip something about Mass Effect. There isn’t much specifically in the interview about Mass Effect, but there have been rumors and general talk of a movie for years with a male Shepard from Warner Bros. 11-years on, the hopes for that film was dashed when earlier this year an interview with Mass Effect writer and Andromeda Director Marc Walters noted that the film hardly made it past concept stages. Thank all that is holy that this never happened because I think we both know who would be cast as Shepard in that case: Matt Damon or Mark Wahlberg.

While I am sure many are relieved we’ve been spared that vicious and unjust hell, that doesn’t stop the concern from fans and former Bioware employees either. Taking to Twitter, former Bioware writer and creator of the Dragon Age series David Gaider took to Twitter to note that while he’s glad the movie fell through, the idea of a TV show makes him “cringe just a little.” He goes on to note the differences in choosing your own character, giving players choices throughout the game, alongside general agency and belief that the adaptation has to be all-encompassing of everyone’s experience with the series. Yes, it is going to be different, that’s the meaning behind the word adaptation, you’d think a writer would know this.

I'm relieved to see that the Mass Effect/Amazon deal is for a potential TV series and not a movie. Even so, the possibility (and likewise for Dragon Age) makes me cringe just a little, unlike many fans who appear… excited?

Let me explain. (Thread)

— David Gaider (@davidgaider) November 25, 2021

Personally, I hold the opinion that this is a problem with everyone that holds a series too close to their heart, ultimately missing the meaning of the word adapt: “To change your behavior in order to deal more successfully with a new situation.” Is it going to upset some people not seeing a male Shepard boink Garrus? Sure, but if you are so hung up on Commander space-Jesus riding the specific alien of your choice, go play the games. A TV series that does not get rid of the thing you love already isn’t changing the fact you boinked Garrus or that you played as a fem Shep’. The point of this is to give a new experience, just as the point of Andromeda, aside from being a buggy mess upon release, was to give you a whole new adventure in space.

Personally, I’d like to see a TV show that deals with space politics, because that’s all I seem to love: Star Trek, The Orville, and that’s it. Maybe it will be complete and utter crap boiled down to nothing more than Game of Thrones in space, but I’m at least going to give them the attempt before I say the world is ending and the Reapers are back. Ultimately, they can make alterations where needed to fit the medium, but people are going to be angry either way. That’s why I think we should nuke Mars right now be done with it, start the space wars before it even goes into production.