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Karyn Kusama has boarded the “Life Is Strange” TV series currently in the works at Amazon Prime Video, Variety has learned exclusively.
Kusama is now attached to direct the first two episodes of the video game adaptation in addition to executive producing under her Familystyle production banner. Kusama’s involvement comes not long after it was reported that Maisy Stella and Tatum Grace Hopkins have been cast in the roles of Chloe and Max, respectively.
Per the official logline, the show follows Max (Hopkins), “a photography student, who discovers she can rewind time while saving the life of her childhood best friend, Chloe (Stella). As she struggles to understand this new skill, the pair investigate the mysterious disappearance of a fellow student, uncovering a dark side to their town that will ultimately force them to make an impossible life or death choice that will impact them forever.”
Kusama is a three-time Emmy nominee — once for her work as a director on the critically-acclaimed Showtime series “Yellowjackets” and two more sharing in that show’s nominations for outstanding drama series. She previously worked with Amazon as a director on the shows “The Man in the High Castle,” “Dead Ringers” and “The Consultant,” while she has also directed shows like “Billions” and “In Treatment.” In features, Kusama is known for her work on “Jennifer’s Body” and “Girlfight,” the latter of which she also wrote.
She is repped by WME, Black Bear, and Felker Toczek
“Life Is Strange” will be written by Charlie Covell, who also serves as executive producer and showrunner. Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg, and Timothy I. Stevenson will executive produce under their Story Kitchen banner. Jen Roskind also executive produces, as does Kusama. The series comes from Square Enix, Story Kitchen, and LuckyChap, with Amazon MGM Studios producing.
It was reported in January that “Life is Strange: Reunion,” which will be the conclusion of Chloe and Max’s story, will launch on March 26 on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
The first “Life Is Strange” game was released in 2015 to positive reviews, industry praise and award nominations and wins. In 2023, it was reported that the game had reached over 20 million total players. The original game was followed by the prequel “Life Is Strange: Before the Storm” in 2017. “The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit” and “Life Is Strange 2,” which focused on new characters, were released in 2018. These were followed by another standalone game, “Life Is Strange: True Colors,” in 2021. “Life Is Strange: Double Exposure,” which once again featured Max as the protagonist, came out in 2024. The games were developed by Don’t Nod Entertainment and later Deck Nine with Square Enix serving as publisher.
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