The Last of Us was originally going to be adapted as a feature film, but that version died in development hell.
HBO
HBO has found a big hit by adapting the acclaimed video game The Last of Us as a TV series, and a look at the show’s monumental success has the higher-ups at Sony feeling regretful. Years before HBO took their chance on The Last of Us, a decision that has been greatly working out for them, the original plan was to turn the game into a feature film. At one point, Evil Dead helmer Sam Raimi was on board to produce and co-write the film with game creator Neil Druckmann, who’d later develop the HBO show with Craig Mazin. However, the film was ultimately scrapped, officially dying in development hell by the end of 2016.
Per Business Insider, Sony Pictures Entertainment film chairman Tom Rothman is reflecting on the failed Last of Us adaptation that they almost made. Rothman admits to feeling envious after seeing how much fans are loving the TV show adaptation, but at the same time, he agrees that The Last of Us may be better off as an episodic series, given how much story there is to tell that would be hard to cram into a single feature film.
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When directly asked if he now wishes that Sony would have gotten the film made, Rothman said, “Yes. But I’m very happy for them and I think it’s better suited episodically. I’m jealous in the best way.”
Related: I Am Legend 2 Will Take Inspiration from HBO’s The Last of Us
The Last of Us Worked Out Better as a TV Show
Warner Bros. Television
Rothman isn’t the only one who’s feeling that a TV show is ultimately better for The Last of Us compared to a movie. Jeffrey Pierce, who recently guest starred on the series, told Entertainment Weekly that he had even read for the role of Tommy for the ill-fated Sony project. He walked away from that feeling that The Last of Us just wasn’t possible to be reimagined as a good movie, because way too much important storytelling would have to be left on the cutting room floor.
“As good as it was, it was never gonna be a great movie,” Pierce notes. “In a two-hour runtime, how are you gonna tell 14, 17 hours of story? Then I think that there was some conversation about it maybe being an animation motion-capture movie series at some point, and that seemed like a good idea, but we’ve been down that road. So how would that become special?”
You can stream The Last of Us on HBO Max.
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