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[IbizaPocholo]

The Last of Us Movie Fell Apart Due to Tacked-on Action Scenes

Before it was headed to HBO, The Last of Us was set to premiere in movie theaters nationwide, but studio notes about a lack of action put the kibosh on the project.

www.comingsoon.net

Original game director Neil Druckmann recently revealed why the team made the change, and it makes sense to anyone familiar with the source material. The studios behind The Last of Us movie wanted big set pieces and action, something that the creators at Naughty Dog felt wasn’t necessary to tell their story.

Originally in the works at Screen Gems and Sony in 2014, production issues were reported on widely in 2016 before the entire The Last of Us movie project fell apart. According to Druckmann on the Script Apart podcast, this was due to unnamed studio executives expecting more bombast from a video game property.

“When I worked on the movie version, a lot of the thinking and notes were like ‘how do we make it bigger? How do we make the set pieces bigger?’” Druckmann explained (transcription by IGN).

Both The Last of Us games have plenty of combat with both infected and other survivors. Still, Druckmann sees the numerous encounters as unnecessary to the story and a compromise for the sake of how games are made. In the TV world, he feels that he can still portray Joel and Ellie’s journey while dialing back on the action so it will be more like an “indie film.”

“In the game, there are certain mechanics for pacing purposes,” Druckmann said. “You have to engage those mechanics every once in a while. You need enough combat to train those mechanics. And you can throw all that out [for the TV show] because now we’re in a different medium. Let’s play to the strengths of this medium.”

 

[MilkLizard]

Druckmann is a weird guy. Why is he even working on games still? Sounds like he doesn’t really enjoy them.

 

[killatopak]

What

 

[Krizalidx11]

Sony gives the guy the whole movie to manage and he says "i want it like an indie movie"


Welp, those 10s of millions $ are well spent in the last 7 years

 

[Krappadizzle]

Good. Movie would be best as a horror/drama than an action horror.

 

[Spaceman292]

But Last of Us had plenty of big action set pieces. Remember running from the armoured truck and jumping off a bridge?

 

[Zeroing]

I think the adaption for a tv series is better suited than for a movie.

But!!! Do we need another video game adaptation to remind us gamers, that Hollywood ruins everything???

Now the bigger issue from all this is… all that time and money wasted… ouch

 

[mhirano]

Drunkman now is like a white Kojima but without the talent.

 

[Whitecrow]

Druckmann is a parasite that wants everything fit his ideology and views.

 

[ShinLad]

Am I the only one thankful that Druckmann didn't let "unnamed studio execs" create another shitty video game adaptation. I remember The Last of Us for the quieter moments not "Set pieces and action." An HBO Series is the best possible adaption we could expect.

 

[Punished Miku]

Both The Last of Us games have plenty of combat with both infected and other survivors. Still, Druckmann sees the numerous encounters as unnecessary to the story and a compromise for the sake of how games are made.

That sure explains everything doesn't it.

 

[VCAwe]

Druckmann is a weird guy. Why is he even working on games still? Sounds like he doesn’t really enjoy them.

Gee idk.. every game he's worked on has been a success and a hit, I really wonder why they'd still let him work on games.

 

[ethomaz]

I agree with him.

Most action/combat in the game works as filler to place the game and story.
The movie needs to have only the essential ones (for exemple the part Joel go mad to save Ellie).

You don't need to have gameplay combat scenes each 3 minutes like game.
Think a bit about The Walking Dead... the combat scenes are very few.

Good. Movie would be best as a horror/drama than an action horror.

Exactly.

 

[fart town usa]

Another overwrought melodrama, just what the world needs. My wife was watching Handmaid's Tale last night and I have no idea how people can get enjoyment out of the most depressing shit on the planet. It's straight up grief porn.

 

[llien]

Druckmann is a parasite that wants everything fit his ideology and views.

I don't like where he went with TLOU, but I doubt he got to his position just by pure luck, he sure knows shit about games.

I wish he'd focus on that more than on sending woke messages.

 

[Kimahri]

Much like the game then

 

[MilkLizard]

Gee idk.. every game he's worked on has been a success and a hit, I really wonder why they'd still let him work on games.

That’s not what I meant at all. I’m not one of his weird haters and I love Last of Us 1&2. The part “In the game, there are certain mechanics for pacing purposes,” Druckmann said. “You have to engage those mechanics every once in a while” made me think if it wouldn’t be better for him if he works on TV Shows and movies in the future. Or maybe has the courage to make a AAA “Walking Simulator”.

 

[Whitecrow]

I don't like where he went with TLOU, but I doubt he got to his position just by pure luck, he sure knows shit about games.

I wish he'd focus on that more than on sending woke messages.

He became co-president of ND before TLOU II, before he shown what he is made of.

I guess the money and critics from TLOU 1 and Uncharted 4 made him climb up.

 

[Reality Czar]

Neil trying to pretend he is a big important artist while making zombie shooters.

Get over yourself dude “humans are the real monsters” zombie trope is decades old at this point. You are saying nothing new. Post apocalyptic porn is so overdone its tiring at this point.

You write the cutscenes that play in between shooty shooty at evil zombie segments. The only reason people put up with your pretentious crap is because they get to shoot at people for 20 hours. Your games are as deep as Robotron. Quit smelling your farts.