After securing the main leads for its upcoming live-action Life is Strange series, Prime Video has now found a helming force. Karyn Kusama, known for her work on Jennifer’s Body and Yellowjackets, is attached to direct the first two episodes of the series, which will adapt Dontnod Entertainment and Square Enix’s time-bending mystery adventure (via Variety).
The filmmaker shares executive producing duty with Charlie Covell (The End of the F***ing World), who also serves as writer and showrunner, as well as Dmitri M. Johnson, Michael Lawrence Goldberg, and Timothy I. Stevenson from Story Kitchen (Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft). Square Enix, Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment, and Amazon MGM are producing.
As previously reported, the show stars industry newcomer Tatum Grace Hopkins as protagonist Max Caulfield, while Maisy Stella is set to play her best friend, Chloe Price. The official logline follows Max, “a photography student, who discovers she can rewind time while saving the life of her childhood best friend, Chloe. 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.”
The pair was first introduced in 2015’s Life is Strange and will reunite in Life is Strange: Reunion, the direct sequel to 2024’s Double Exposure, releasing on 26 March. The final chapter of Max’s saga makes both characters playable for the first time in the franchise, with gameplay switching between each perspective and their respective abilities.
No release date has been set for the Life is Strange series, but Kusama is certainly a good fit for the project – in addition to being a three-time Emmy nominee, the filmmaker has featured female protagonists in all of her works to date, excluding The Invitation, and is noted for exploring strong feminist themes.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
Kevin Low
