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The Last of Us Movie Has "Pretty Big Changes," But Still Faithful To The Game

Neil Druckmann also confirms that he's written second draft and has already done a table read with some actors.

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The upcoming feature film based on Naughty Dog's post-apocalyptic action game The Last of Us won't follow the 2013 title's story exactly, but it will capture its overall tone, according to Neil Druckmann. He directed the game and is working with Sony to write the upcoming movie.

In an interview with Game Informer, Druckmann was asked how faithful the movie will be to the game. He replied: "Pretty faithful to the game. There are some big changes, but the tone and what the story's trying to say is pretty faithful to the game."

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As for how the script itself is shaping up, Druckmann said it's coming along "really well," noting that he's already finished a second draft. He went on to say that the production team has already done a table read with "a bunch of actors," though he didn't say if Maisie Williams was one of them.

The Game of Thrones actress is reportedly a frontrunner for the role of Ellie. It's unclear who will play Joel, or any of the other characters, in the forthcoming film. Additionally, no director has been announced, though Spider-Man veteran Sam Raimi is confirmed to be producing it.

In addition to writing the script for the Last of Us movie, Druckmann is co-directing upcoming PlayStation 4 game Uncharted 4: A Thief's End. Asked how he's splitting his time between both projects, his response suggested he hasn't been getting much sleep lately.

"When I'm in the office, it's all Uncharted 4 all the time," he said. "When I should be sleeping, it's the Uncharted movie." The interviewer then corrected him. "Yeah, sorry, The Last of Us movie."

An Uncharted movie is also in the works, but Druckmann made it clear that he's not writing that movie.

The Last of Us was released in June 2013 for PlayStation 3, while a Remastered version of the game later arrived for PS4. The game tells a post-apocalyptic story of a man (Joel) and a young women (Ellie) who are fighting to survive against humans and other deadly creatures.

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KimCheeWarriorX

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another game's story ruined during transition from console to big screen

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Xristophoros

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<< LINK REMOVED >> if there is one game-movie adaptation that is destined to do well, this is it. how often do you get the director of the game writing the script and acting as a producer/creative advisor on the movie? never. tlou movie will show them how it's done.

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Conker1985

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> True, but what's the point? The game itself is a playable movie. I see no reason for a film adaptation (other than money), especially if they're just retelling the same story, albeit "changing" some things, whatever that means.

I hope it does well, but for all intents and purposes, I've no desire to see it. It was a great game, with a well written story, wonderful characters, and it was brilliantly acted. I don't need to see it redone with different people.

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Xristophoros

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<< LINK REMOVED >> come on... not everyone is a gamer or wants to be. movies are the most mainstream media we have as there are absolutely no restrictions to enjoying them. if they can share the great story of tlou to countless millions of other people around the world (who would otherwise never be exposed to it), why not?

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Flyin3lvl

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<< LINK REMOVED >><< LINK REMOVED >> because those that havnt played the game like at all will see the movie thats not like the game and think "what was all that fuss about over the game" if it mis represnts what the game has build up then the avarage person might think

"no need to seek out the game to fill the gaps"

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KaalKurayami

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Hopefully the same characters will be in the movie, even if the story changes.

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3CupsofFlower

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Pretty big changes? That's slightly worrying...

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longestsprout

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<< LINK REMOVED >> Sure, but very much expected. The movie is going to be only a portion of the game's length, so a rewrite of the story isn't exactly a surprise.

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Tiwill44

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Gotta admire the visual fidelity though, I mean look at that picture! The movie looks just like the game!

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

And this film better be shot at 48fps. Well Sony loves there movies 1080p/60fps right?

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Tiwill44

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<< LINK REMOVED >> 24fps for the silky smooth cinematic experience! Just like the original game!

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holocam22

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The original game looked great performed very well.

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youre_a_sheep

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Wait, what came out in 2013 wasn't a movie?

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Wild360

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<< LINK REMOVED >> No, the graphics were just that good on a spectacular game you should play. Don't worry, many have made this mistake.

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Xristophoros

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and that is totally fine by me... some changes are always necessary when adapting content for the big screen, especially when you consider the total running time you have to work with (two hours or so). i'd rather see a fresh take on the material than a literal adaptation when all is considered.

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Flyin3lvl

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<< LINK REMOVED >> but they could make the story arc over two maybe three movies ... worked for the lord of the rings

if they mis represnt the game then peeps wont want to seek out the game to fill in the gaps

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

Good and let's also get The Order: 1886 the same treatment as well to the big screen.

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Xristophoros

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<< LINK REMOVED >> heh, well lets see if it is well received first. if it tanks, i don't see a movie happening. i really hope the game turns out great!

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

I already pre-order it cause 2 things, 1. It's a new IP to Sony and 2. TLOU prove that even a good story can lead to a successful game.

In other words, I'm gonna take a chance on Order: 1886 despite what people say right now.

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Xristophoros

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<< LINK REMOVED >> i am being cautiously optimistic. even if the gameplay doesn't hold up, a deep and engaging story would be enough for me. just not sure a good story alone warrants a $70 price tag but it remains to be seen.

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

And I recommend you wait for the reviews on this one. I was a little scare at first but the more I seen videos, the more I'll give Ready at Dawn a chance. I'm assuming that it will support Share Play and if my friends want to play this game before they buy, I'll gladly let them play it.

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A8ADD0N

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I just don't feel confident enough to pre-order it based off of what I've seen. I would love it if the game turned out good, but I've read some pretty bad previews. I'm also a little concerned about the length of the game. Since it has no multiplayer, which seems odd for a TPS, it hopefully has a meaty enough campaign to be considered for more than just a rental.

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DaVillain

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DaVillain  Moderator

Understandable, I wait for the reviews on this as well but I'll take my chances though. I hope the game does well.

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