After several years of rumors, The Last of Us television adaption is officially filming. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay of Game of Thrones fame will lead the cast playing as Joel and Ellie, with the series expected to land on HBO in late 2022. As many of you know by now, video game adaptions haven’t been too well-received by fans and critics. Only three video game movie adaptations have high rotten tomatoes scores: Detective Pikachu, Sonic The Hedgehog, and Angry Birds 2. This is a rare occasion where a video game is being adapted into a television series, thus The Last of Us has a stronger chance at being a success since it isn’t forced to condense down a 10 plus hour story into a movie format. Let’s further examine the issues that the popular game needs to avoid when making the transition over television.
Failing To Properly Follow The Plot Of The Video Game
Too often, filmmakers tend to go in their own direction and the movie counterpart tends to pale in comparison of the video game. Of course, it would be a mistake to adapt every single thing from the video game. Some things are better strictly for the game format; however, going wildly off course can ultimately ruin the series. The Super Mario Brothers games saw players control the title character or Luigi, with the duo traveling to Mushroom Kingdom and doing various platform stages in order to rescue Princess Toadstool. The 1993 movie is about two Brooklyn Plumbers who try to rescue Princess Daisy from King Koopa. The film doesn’t even come close to matching its video game counterpart. House of the Dead, the Resident Evil series – which features a lead character that’s not even in the video games – are just some of the other films that vastly deviates from their video game counterparts. First things first, a great script is obviously a must, but the fact that these movies are incredibly bad and fail to resemble anything from their video game counterpart will turn off audiences altogether. The writers need to expertly capture the spirit and world of The Last of Us, while still giving the audience a cohesive narrative and compelling plot. The material for a great series is all there as The Last of Us is deemed as a well-written movie. Hopefully, the filmmakers are able to successfully transfer that masterpiece to the small screen.
The Characters
Thankfully, The Last of Us series is off to a great start as the filmmakers aren’t pulling an Alice or Cole Young here. Meaning, the writers are following the story of Joel and Ellie, not some unknown character that’s not even in the video games. However, the video game adaption needs more than just the physical appearance of Joel, Ellie, and the other core characters from the game. Resident Evil had the likes of Chris Redfield, Jill Valentine, Albert Wesker, and Ada Wong throughout the franchise and they all felt like bland copycats of their video game characters. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay are very talented actors with strong charisma; however, it does ultimately depend on how their characters are written in the series. Joel and Ellie aren’t over-the-top cartoon-like characters in the games, so it shouldn’t be too much of an issue to transfer their defining traits to the live-action series. Do they need to be an exact copy of their characters? No, the filmmakers don’t have to get everything right about them, but as long as Pascal, Ramsay, Gabriel Luna, and Merle Dandridge feel like Joel, Ellie, Tommy, and Marlene, then the television series is in a good direction.
A Compelling Story That Doesn’t Get Lost In The Last Of Us Lore
As I previously stated, this all comes down to the script. The premise, the characters, and world of the television series can exactly match its video game counterpart; however, if the series fails to be good then none of that will matter in the end. This is definitely a tricky situation. The series has to expertly weave together multiple storylines that truly explore the world of The Last of Us, yet it can’t get so lost in its own world. Oftentimes, adaptations have so many Easter eggs that audiences unfamiliar with the property get lost and confused. The Last of Us has to be friendly to the viewers who have never touched the video game, yet still, have enough source material to satisfy the fanbase as well. The ingredients to make the best video game adaptation is already there. Hopefully, the filmmakers can take advantage of its rich premise and characters to create something truly memorable.Detective Pikachu
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