Amazon reportedly making a deal to develop Mass Effect series

With the recent successful launch of The Wheel of Time, Amazon is betting big on the fantasy genre. Following The Wheel of Time will be the much-anticipated Lord of the Rings series, but Deadline has reported that Amazon’s next big project could take them into the realm of sci-fi with an adaptation of the Mass Effect video game series.

Deadline didn’t have much to say about the possible Mass Effect series, only to say that “Amazon Studios is nearing a deal to develop a series based on the best-selling sci-fi video game franchise from Electronic Arts.” The Mass Effect series doesn’t sound like a sure thing at the moment, but there have been rumblings of a Mass Effect movie or series for over a decade. Developed by BioWare, the Mass Effect franchise takes place in the future where civilization is under threat by a highly advanced machine race known as the Reapers. The player takes on the role of Commander Shepard, an elite human soldier. The franchise has spawned four games so far and it was announced last year that a new sequel was in development. I’m not overly familiar with Mass Effect, but just based on the overall synopsis of the franchise, a TV series definitely seems like the way to go rather than a movie.

While speaking with Business Insider this summer, BioWare’s Mac Walters confirmed that the company doesn’t really think that a feature film is the best route for Mass Effect. “What story are we going to tell in 90 to 120 minutes?” Walters said. “Are we going to do it justice?” With such an expansive world, Walters added that “If you’re going to tell a story that’s as fleshed out as Mass Effect; TV is the way to do it. There’s a natural way it fits well with episodic content.” If Amazon does make a deal to develop the Mass Effect series, what would you hope to see in it?