You may already know how much we thought of immersive, successful PlayStation title The Last Of Us. If you don’t, you might want to check out our must-read interviews with its creators as well as our review, then come back and imagine our joy/trepidation at the idea thatSam Raimi wants to develop it as a film.
It shouldn't be that surprising. After all, the game itself is intensely cinematic and well suited to adaptation. We’re just worried about Screen Gems, Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures keeping the quality up. They’ve made a crucially positive first step, however, hiring co-creator Neil Druckmann to write the script.
Hitting shelves last June, The Last Of Us follows hardened survivor Joel and a young girl named Ellie on their journey through a radically transformed world. Set 20 years after an infectious pandemic derailed the course of humanity, these two people, brought together by chance, must make life-altering decisions in order to survive.
Screen Gems president Clint Culpepper seems happy with the move: “Brian Dukes and Eric Ling brought this game to my attention insisting we go after it. When I saw the quality of the storytelling, I knew the audience for this project was far greater than just the gaming community and that Neil Druckmann must write the screenplay. And Sam and his team at Ghost House round out the perfect team to help realize Neil's vision.”
But who should play the much-loved lead characters? "Ellen Page for Ellie!" you cry. Well, she certainly looks the part, but her age is a problem. She would have been perfect 10 years ago, but really that part will be perfect for a young newcomer. As for Joel, there are several grizzled manly men in Hollywood who'd suit the part down to the ground (and know their way around a protective surrogate father role). Here are just a few of our own suggestions...
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