The creative minds behind the recently renewed Amazon Studios series, Secret Level, have tons of ideas for what Season 2 could include.
Secret Level is an animated anthology that tells unique stories set within the worlds of established game franchises and IP. In its first season, it has already told tales from Mega Man, Dragon Age, The Outer Wilds, Concord, Dungeons & Dragons, and more.
The show's Pac-Man piece seems to have drawn the most attention. It took the innocent arcade game and turned it into a violent and disturbing short about a lost soul's quest for survival and purpose.
What IPs Could Show Up In Secret Level Season 2?
Imagine How Crazy the Show Could Go With 'Pong'
Editor's Note: This interview was conducted prior to Secret Level getting renewed for Season 2
The Direct's Russ Milheim sat down with Secret Level creator Tim Miller and supervising director Dave Wilson where they shared what properties they'd love to tackle in a Season 2.
- The Direct: "Now, if a Season 2 is commissioned for 'Secret Level,' what are some of the top properties that you guys would personally want to include in the next go-round? Hypothetically speaking."
Dave Wilson: Everyone has their seminal gaming experience, and for me, that would definitely be like 'Wolfenstein' slash 'Doom.' I remember where and when I was, when I first, like, plugged those discs in and played those games.
But I would also love to take some obscure thing, like Pong, which I'm like, what is that story? And turn it into something, man...
... But the list would go on forever, 'Dragons Lair,' 'Space Quest,' 'Doom,' like I have such, yeah, a fun Yeah... We have a massive document of games I would love to do, like a 'Prince of Persia,' and bring Jake Gyllenhaal back and make him make that again in like a parody of what it could have been.
Tim Miller: The list is pretty huge. We could get 10 seasons out of it. And that's just all games that we generally--it's not like you're scraping the barrel. It's just games that you'd really love to see. I mean, why can't we do a 'Wing Commander?' Why can't we do 'Joust' that's super serious.
Wilson: But also, it's a list that I want to go, like, what is best animated, and I think there's this: Hollywood wants to take things and push them into this sort of live-action process. And I'm like, why? They're amazing animated properties.
Video games, in my opinion, brought adult animation to Western shores long before anything else did. So why do we have to jettison like animation? Like, I think things like 'God of War' or whatever are best suited for super, super high-end animation...
What Franchises Would Be Perfect for Secret Level Season 2?
With how crazy Secret Level got with Pac-Man, seeing their take on Pong would be a wild ride. Other classics like Snake or Dig Dug could be equally thrilling to see translated in a whole new way.
The list of potential adaptations for Secret Level in the future is truly endless.
An obvious win would be if Sony or Microsoft let Secret Level dabble with their properties, which could result in an awesome Halo or God of War story. Other gems like Fable or Bloodborne could also be experienced in a whole new way.
Of course, there's also Nintendo, though they tend to be very picky about who handles their trademark characters. Needless to say, fans shouldn't expect a guest appearance from them.
Outside of those big three companies, there are plenty of third-party games that would have great stories to tell. Audiences could once again visit the underwater city of Rapture in Bioshock, watch a chaotic tale unfold from a backwater planet in the universe of Borderlands (which would hopefully be better than the movie), or even a Fortnite short.
With Dragon Age and Dungeons & Dragons getting a short, it would be really great to see an animated short from World of Warcraft.
While only a Season 2 is confirmed, it's easy to see how Amazon Studios could have countless hours of stories to tell if the series continues being successful.
Secret Level is now streaming on Amazon Studios' Prime Video.
