5 iconic Mass Effect characters coming to Amazon’s live-action series

Mass Effect, the Prime Video live-action series, has started casting for its lead characters, per reports.

The show is based on BioWare’s hit sci-fi video game franchise and follows Commander Shepard, who is determined to unite aliens and humans to fight against the Reapers' plan to destroy the galaxy. It is still not confirmed if the show will follow the original Mass Effect trilogy storyline or present some fresh narratives using similar elements.

Based on casting calls and leaks, 5 characters from the game will feature in the show. The report also highlights casting calls for both male and female leads, which shows that there could be a mix of perspectives that the show could explore in parallel threads.

Here is the list of 5 characters, Mass Effect will have in the upcoming series.

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5 iconic Mass Effect characters coming to Mass Effect, the Amazon Prime show

Commander Shepherd

The central protagonist of Mass Effect is the Shepherd, whose leadership and combat skills make him the hope for humanity against the deadly looming threat of Reapers. Reapers are the ancient race of sentient machines who are coded to wipe out all the advanced civilizations, posing a threat to humans and aliens.

Shepherd's mission in the game is to hunt down Saren Arterius, an agent who is Reaper's ally, and escalate the fight for the survival of the galaxy. The casting note that the production issues describe the character as “young Colin Farrell”, which suggests they are looking for an actor with a rugged look and charisma to fit the presence of the commander.

Liara T’Soni

In the casting call, the character Liara is described as a "female lead between 34 and 39;" however, in the game, she is 106 years old. She is an Asari who has lived over a thousand years. Therefore, she is considered young by her species. It is similar to humans in their 30s.

Liara becomes vital to Shephard's mission against Reapers as she is portrayed as an Asari scientist and archaeologist specializing in Prothean history. She is the one who can interpret the visions from the Prothean beacon. She is not just important scientifically, but also a crucial fighter on the battlefield with her telekinesis skills. If the show is following the game's narrative, Liara must be central to the entire narrative and not just someone who supports Shepard.

Garrus Vakarian

Garrus Vakarian is a Turian and not human. Turians in the game are usually taller, bulkier, and physically imposing. Therefore, the casting for the character is according to the description, seeking someone who embodies that commanding presence under prosthetics or heavy VFX.

In the games, Garrus starts as a frustrated C-Sec officer who’s tired of bureaucracy stopping him from delivering justice. Garrus is the heart of the narrative, who joins Shepherd's team as his right-hand man.

Female Shepherd

In Mass Effect, players can choose to play as either a male or female Commander Shepard; therefore, the makers are casting for both male and female versions to explore stories in parallel. The casting breakdown for a female lead, 30-49, described as “a human female providing a parallel narrative from Earth”.

Now this suggests that the show could introduce a different storyline taking place on Earth, giving an essence of the choices fans get in the game. Secondly, she could also be the original shepherd. This could help the show explore how regular humans are dealing with the growing Alien presence around them, along with the early signs of Reapers.

5) Spectre Saren

Saren is the primary antagonist of Mass Effect. As mentioned, he becomes the first target of Shepherd, being a Reaper ally. He will be somewhere between 40 to 60 years old based on the description on the casting call. Another trait mentioned in the call states the character to be a character, like Doug Hones.

Saren is also a Turian, like Garrus, so he will need heavy prosthetics to bring the desired game character to life. He was once loyal to the Citadel but was corrupted and grew to despise humanity and its influence over galactic politics. He believes that the way to survive is by serving Reapers and not fighting them.

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There has been no official confirmation on the release date for the show.