Steve Buscemi levels up, joining Rob Mac and Lizzy Caplan in FX's Far Cry series

Here’s one that’s sure to get both telly fans and gamers sitting forward: Steve Buscemi’s stepping into the wild world of Far Cry for FX, joining a cast led by Rob Mac and Lizzy Caplan. Yes, that Steve Buscemi. The man’s got range — Bart Simpson, gangster, boardwalk king — and now presumably some sort of dangerous or unhinged figure on an island, with or without a dodgy shirt. Let’s break it all down.

What’s Actually Going On With This Far Cry Show?

Details on the story itself? Properly locked down. No one’s coughing up what characters Buscemi, Caplan, or Rob Mac are playing. Here’s what’s out there:

• The show’s an anthology — a different story, cast, and setting each season, much like the Far Cry games.
• Rob Mac isn’t just starring in it — he’s co-creating alongside Noah Hawley (the bloke behind Fargo). That combo’s got me intrigued, I’ll be honest.
• Hawley’s take is that the Far Cry series is a smashing fit for TV: every game’s a riff on a theme, big action, mad locations, and plenty of chaos. He basically wants to channel his Fargo energy, but with more explosions.
• The press release is full of high praise for Ubisoft (the game publisher) for letting them run wild with the brand, plus the usual fluffy gratitude about working with FX and colleagues.

Far Cry: A Quick Trip Down Memory Lane

Far Cry started life in 2004, purely to show off the flashy CryEngine graphics software. Ubisoft published the first one, liked the look of it, then took the whole franchise off Crytek. Since then, the series has sent players to:

• A tropical paradise (but with murder)
• A knock-off African nation (with even more murder)
• The Himalayas (surprise: also murder)
• Montana (still murder, but with doomsday cults)
• And, honestly one of my favourites, the Stone Age, in Far Cry Primal (replace machine guns with mammoths — 10/10 would recommend)

And yes, there was indeed a Far Cry film directed by Uwe Boll. Predictably terrible. Some might even call it unwatchable, if you’re feeling charitable.

The Cast So Far

Here’s who we know for sure:

• Rob Mac: Star, co-creator, possibly planning to mug at the camera if the moment allows.
• Lizzy Caplan: No role details yet, but always worth watching.
• Steve Buscemi: Newest addition. Your guess is as good as mine who he’s playing, but if he’s not the villain, I’ll eat my hat.

Buscemi’s Busy as Ever

While he’s prepping for the mayhem of Far Cry, Buscemi’s got another project dropping later this year. Wild Horse Nine is a pitch-black comedy from Martin McDonagh (yep, Banshees of Inisherin), and he’s up alongside John Malkovich and Sam Rockwell.

The premise: It’s 1973, just before the Chilean coup. Buscemi plays MJ, a CIA bureau chief who sends two agents (Malkovich and Rockwell) off to Easter Island. Toss in some stone statues, dodgy secrets, and a couple of rebellious students, and you’ve got a mission blowing up in everyone’s faces by the end.

That film’s due in cinemas 6 November.