The Last of US movie: creator explains why that project fell apart

Last Updated on August 2, 2021

So, while there is finally going to be a new live-action adaptation of the popular post-apocalyptic action-horror game The Last of Us as a series for HBO -starring Pedro Pascal (The Mandalorian) playing Joel and Bella Ramsey (Game of Thrones) – there was actually an attempt a few years ago to develop a big-budget film instead of series, with even Sam Raimi producing!

Furthermore, the studio tapped writer, director, creator of the video game Neil Druckmann to write the screenplay! However, it all fell apart, as Druckmann explained on the Script Apart Podcast:    

When I worked on the movie version, a lot of the thinking and notes were like ‘How do we make it bigger? How do we make the set pieces bigger?’ And it didn’t work for The Last of Us. I think that’s ultimately why the movie wasn’t made…

Our approach for The Last of Us was ‘let’s make it as an indie film. Let’s approach it’s like an indie film team, the way it’s shot, the way how small and intimate it feels.’ And with the show we get to lean into that even more because we don’t have to have as many action sequences as we do in the game.

But what do you guys think? Would you have preferred an action-packed film, or happier with a more somber series? Either way, sound off below!