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The Last of Us Movie Still Struggling to Get Started, Producer Says

"Right now it's just sitting there. They don't want to move forward."

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A movie based on Naughty Dog's acclaimed post-apocalyptic game The Last of Us was announced in 2014. At one time, it seemed hopeful that the movie would be made, as Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann (who wrote the game and is working on the movie) said there was a table read. Additionally, Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams has said she's interested in playing Ellie, one of the leads. However, Druckmann said earlier this year that the movie is stuck in "development hell" and that appears to still be the case.

Speaking to IGN, producer Sam Raimi (Spider-Man) said Druckmann took the rights to The Last of Us directly to Sony instead of Raimi's Ghost House pictures. This has complicated matters, apparently.

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"With this one he went to Sony--who I have a very good relationship with--but they have their own plans for it and I think Neil's plan for it," he said. "I'm not trying to be political; Neil's plan for it is not the same as Sony's. And because my company doesn't have the rights, I actually can't help him too much. Even though I'm one of the producers on it the way he set it up, he sold his rights to Sony, Sony hired me as a producer by chance, and I can't get the rights free for him so I'm not in the driver's seat and I can't tell you what Sony and Neil together will decide on. If they do move forward I'd love to help them again."

Raimi also confirmed that he remains attached to the Last of Us movie, but acknowledged that he's "not too sure what that means."

"Right now it's just sitting there," he said about the film. "They don't want to move forward, and it's not my place to say why, and Neil, I think, is in a slight disagreement with them about how things should go so there's a standstill. And I don't have the power to move it."

Druckmann previously revealed the film won't follow the 2013 title's story exactly, but it will instead capture its overall tone. As of yet no director has been announced.

The Last of Us is not the only Naughty Dog game being made into a movie, as an Uncharted film is also in the works. Recently, Sony announced that the movie is being "fast-tracked," and that Night at the Museum director Shawn Levy has come aboard to direct it.

No new entries in The Last of Us or Uncharted game franchises have been announced.

The next major video game movie is Assassin's Creed, which stars Michael Fassbender. The movie opens on December 21--watch the newest trailer here.

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