Sam Raimi showed up at Comic-Con today to talk about his forthcoming adaptation of groundbreaking videogame, The Last Of Us, on which he’ll serve as producer - and dropped a little tidbit that Game Of Thrones actress Maisie Williams is in early talks to star.
Raimi and Naughty Dog’s creative director Neil Druckmann, who wrote the post-apocalyptic horror game and will write the movie's script, took to the Hall H stage in a surprise appearance - and the fans in the cavernous 'Con hub liked what they had to say.
“I think it’s going to be a great character journey and a great love story and a really great horror picture,” said Raimi, who confirmed that he wouldn’t be directing the movie, which doesn’t yet have a release date. Instead, he’ll be sticking to producing duties, with his mission to "protect" the game as it makes its way to the big screen.
And part of that, obviously, involves casting. Raimi said he’d love to find cameos for Bruce Campbell and his brother, Ted, but the big news revolved around the main roles of Joel and Ellie, the protagonists of the game whose relationship provides an emotional kick so often lacking in games. Joel, a grizzled older man who’s recovering from a major loss after the world is devastated by a deadly outbreak, is still wrapped in a shroud of speculation, but Raimi and Druckmann said that they had held early talks about the role of Ellie, the young girl with whom Joel bonds.
“We met with someone the other day. Nothing’s been signed,” said Druckmann. “We had a meeting with Maisie Williams.”
Williams, who plays Arya Stark on Game Of Thrones, would seem to be pretty much perfect casting for the movie, but as Druckmann and Raimi were keen to emphasise, it’s early days yet, with no director in place. But the duo are very aware of the potential for The Last Of Us - widely hailed as a masterpiece of gaming - to break out and become the first truly excellent video game movie.
“There’s never been a great video game adaptation for film,” said Druckmann. “We’re going to work our asses off to make this thing great. Why wait? We have a great opportunity here. Go for it.”