'Fallout' is coming to Prime earlier than expected: Release date, time, cast, how to watch

The end of the world apparently can't come soon enough.

Amazon had already bumped up the premier date once for its highly anticipated post-apocalyptic series "Fallout." Now, it has done so again, announcing Monday that the television series based on the popular video game franchise is headed to Prime Video one day earlier than previously announced.

The surprise reveal that "Fallout" would be premiering not Thursday, but Wednesday, came via a late-night post from the show's official page on social media site X.

The series from "Westworld" creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy of Kilter Films follows a resident of a fallout shelter who emerges 200 years after a nuclear war to explore a ravaged, unrecognizable country. Nolan directed the first three episode of the series, which is helmed by showrunners and writers Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner.

The series is likely to attract viewers who are both veterans of Bethesda's video game series and also new to "Fallout" entirely. Regardless of which camp you fall in, here's what to know about the Prime Video series.

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'Fallout' premier date: Time, date of the series release

"Fallout" will debut Wednesday at 9 p.m. Eastern Time.

Walton Goggins, who plays a villainous bounty hunter known only as the Ghoul, revealed the earlier premier date in a video included with the announcement on X.

"As a thank you to all the fans out there, we're giving you the show early," Goggins said.

All eight episodes of "Fallout" will premiere at once in a departure for Prime, which typically releases its series on a weekly schedule.

How to watch 'Fallout' on Amazon Prime

Watching "Fallout" will require a Prime membership. Those without one can sign up for a 30-day free trial, after which a subscription will cost $14.99 per month.

Amazon announced Monday that it is also offering discounted memberships through Prime Access, which is for those who use certain government assistance programs, as well as through Prime Student for those enrolled in higher education.

'Fallout' on Prime: Subscribe

What is 'Fallout' about?

Bethesda's iconic action role-playing video game franchise never strayed far from the campiness and post-World War II era idealism that has come to define the series through multiple titles.

Like the games, the upcoming series appears to have maintained that influence and tone that sharply contrasts with an otherwise grim setting.

In the world of "Fallout," those with wealth were able to survive a nuclear war in 2077 by taking refuge in bunkers purchased from a company known as Vault-Tec. When one of those survivors, Lucy (Ella Purnell,) leaves the safety of the luxury fallout shelter 200 years later, she finds an irradiated hellscape that was once Los Angeles.

See the trailer for the debut season of 'Fallout'

Amazon dropped the official "Fallout" trailer March 7 that provides a glimpse of the menacing world uncovered by Lucy when she heads out into the Wasteland.

In the trailer, Lucy can be seen encountering a few characters, including a soldier named Maximus (Aaron Moten) who is part of a militaristic faction called Brotherhood of Steel, as well as the aforementioned Ghoul. The trailer even provides a glimpse of a dog named CX404.

"Everyone wants to save the world, they just –" Maximus says in the trailer, "they disagree on how."

See the trailer here:

'Fallout' cast: Who stars in Amazon's new series?

While Ella Purnell of Showtime's "Yellowjackets" is featured in all eight episodes, she'll encounter a variety of characters both menacing and quirky portrayed by a large cast.

• Ella Purnell as Lucy
• Aaron Moten as Maximus
• Walton Goggins as The Ghoul
• Kyle MacLachlan as Overseer Hank
• Sarita Choudhury as Moldaver
• Moisés Arias as Norm MacLean
• Michael Emerson Wilzig
• Leslie Uggams as Betty Pearson
• Frances Turner as Barb Howard
• Dave Register as Chet
• Zach Cherry as Wood Thomas
• Johnny Pemberton as Thaddeus
• Rodrigo Luzzi as Reg McPhee
• Annabel O'Hagan as Steph Harper
• Leer Leary as Davey
• Matt Berry as Snip-Snip
• Xelia Mendes-Jones as Dane

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at elagatta@gannett.com

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