The Last of Us Scoring a Movie Adaptation

The hit game 'The Last of Us'

If you’re a fan of huge game-changing games (excuse the pun) then you might have heard the news about the critically acclaimed ‘The Last of Us’ scoring a movie deal. For those of you who are unfamiliar with this game however, ‘The Last of Us’ is an action-adventure, horror survival video game set in a 2033 post-apocalyptic United States, with a heavy driven storyline in a fight against zombie-like creatures infected by a mutation. And if that wasn’t enough, the player has to also fight off hostile humans (bandits and cannibals) in hostile environments. The protagonists, Joel and Ellie, aren’t actually the last people on earth, despite what the title suggests. The game focuses on the critical depiction of the human condition, dealing with themes of sacrifice, loyalty, fate, and hope. Now for some of you, you’re probably not even interested after reading the opening. I mean, video games. Post-apocalyptic setting. Zombies. United States. It’s all been done before! 

So what makes this game so special and different? Let me put it into perspective: imagine ‘The Walking Dead’ but with a more compelling and compact storyline and likable characters, twice as scary and five times more incredible. ‘The Last of Us’ has received praised for many aspects of the game, including the writing, game-play, sounds, level designs, the artistic value of it as well as the characters and voice actors.

So the fact that this game is being made into a film is a big deal; it has a lot to live up to. With the details of the film still scarce, all we know is that the game’s creative director and writer Neil Druckmann, will write the script and it will be a direct adaptation of the game. As well as this, Sam Raimi (‘Spiderman Trilogy’ and ‘Evil Dead’) has been attached to help produce the film too. Moreover, the lead-up to actual casting announcements means that there is plenty of time to for fans to speculate and fantasise on the best picks for Joel and Ellie. However, due to the reliance that the game has on strong, believable characters, casting would have to be perfect in order to satisfy fans of the game and to actually make a compelling film.

Manu Bennett in action during 'Arrow' as Slade Wilson

That being said, who would be the most suitable for the roles? Let’s start with Joel; a brutal and gruff survivor in his late 40’s to early 50’s with a compassionate side that’s buried down deep. An actor has to be capable of these traits and portray them successfully on the screen as well as hold some resemblance to Joel. For fans of the TV shows ‘Spartacus’ or ‘Arrow’ then you might want to consider the New Zealander Manu Bennett. Aside from his physical presence on screen, and likeness to the character, his characteristics and skills that he’s gained from these roles are reflective of that of Joel’s brutal survivalist instinct, making for an easy fit for him into the role.

Or how about Dylan McDermott? Most notable for his roles on ‘American Horror Story’, it shows that he could quite easily slip into this post-apocalyptic, forsaken world with his work in the horror genre. At the age of 52 and still looking physically fit, he also suits into the age bracket nicely; not to mention having a similar facial complexion to that of Joel.

However, it depends on how they want to approach it; if they want star power to help promote the film to a wider audience, it goes without saying to consider Gerard Butler. Aside from being physically built to suit a physique similar to that of Joel’s, in films such as ‘300’ or ‘Olympus has Fallen’ he has shown the capability for hands-on action, something that is a necessity for this film. Give him time to grow a bushy beard and you’ve got yourself a celebrated Joel.

So what about Ellie? A fourteen-year-old orphan that grew up in the post-apocalyptic world, Ellie is tough, with a hint of a childish adolescence and emotively connects with Joel throughout the course of the game. Being the most important character in the game (no spoilers!) it makes her casting imperative to be the right one. 

Ellen Page's "Likeness" was used to construct Ellie

And if age wasn’t an issue, then there would be no one more suitable than Ellen Page. First off, there’s the aesthetics. Ellie has a very similar facial structure to Ellen, looking (probably) just as Ellen would have in primary school and the fact that she has complained they even “stolen her likeness.”

Then there are the multiple parallels in terms of character traits between Ellie and Ellen’s roles in films such as ‘Juno’ and ‘Super’. Quips and dialogue are transcendently ripe with sarcasm and the excitement of danger. Page’s role in ‘Super’ provides exactly the same curiosity in regards to being a superhero as Ellie’s does in regards to the world she never knew. Page’s sense of humour in ‘Juno’ is as dry as Ellie’s, and voice actress Ashley Johnson even has similar tone and speech inflections to Page. There really are too many parallels to mention. But the thought of a twenty-seven-year-old playing the part of a fourteen-year-old girl is just ridiculous and highly unlikely.

But an actress of the right age and the right fit for Ellie would be ‘Kick Ass’ star Chloe Grace Moretz. At seventeen, Moretz has shown – particularly in ‘Kick Ass’ – that she has a unique talent when portraying a character faced with mystery as well as being able to adept in states of crises. She can also show hints of defiance (just as Ellie would) that could easily be carried over to ‘The Last of Us’.

Rising star Maisie Williams could be a good fir for playing Ellie

Another young actress who is more than worthy for the role of Ellie would be ‘Game of Thrones’ Arya Stark, Maisie Williams. At sixteen-years-old, she wouldn’t need to exaggerate in the few moments where Ellie actually acts her age. She also has a similar complexion to that of Ellie and can also show signs of defiance in her acting. The fact that Ellie has spent her entire life faced with the remnants of a world she never knew, and a dangerous ones at that, would require a certain type of performance; one that Maisie could – for the most part – succeed in. This is because it is similar to her portrayal of Arya in ‘Game of Thrones’; she wonders through the dangerous world of Westeros with at times, a childish ignorance of not knowing how to handle real life (westeros-life) situations. 

No matter what you think of the news on a video-game adaptation or the few possible choices for the leads made above, ‘The Last of Us’ is such a cinematic game already, that remaking it as a film almost seems redundant (there are actually playthroughs of the game edited down into movie versions on YouTube, if you have four hours to spare). That being said, video games are a hit-and-miss when it comes to turning them into movies. Let’s hope that ‘The Last of Us’ turns out to be more of a ‘Resident Evil’ or ‘Need for Speed’ film in terms of success than a ‘Prince of Persia’ or ‘Alone in the Dark’ one…