7) The Last of Us (TBA)
The Last of Us has so much potential as a movie because it already practically is one. On YouTube, a compilation of all the game’s cutscenes clocks in at two hours long, and so in some sense we already do have a Last of Us film. Now it just has to be re-created in live action.
From Naughty Dog, The Last of Us follows a man named Joel who must escort a young girl named Elle across a post-apocalyptic United States, but Resident Evil this is not. The game is as likely to make you cry as it is to make you jump out of your seat, and it’s driven by two three-dimensional characters. In our current cinematic landscape, now seems like the ideal time for this: it would be a refreshing alternative to all the lazy zombie stories we’ve seen, offering an apocalyptic tale that’s truly emotional and complex.
A movie adaptation was announced back in 2014, with Screen Gems set to produce. Probably the best news was that Neil Druckmann, creative director of the game, was signed on to write the movie, making this the only one of these adaptations where the original creator is directly involved in the process rather than just serving as a supervisor. Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures will produce, and though nothing has been made official, Maisie Williams has been in discussions to play Elle.
Unfortunately, production on the movie has stalled; Druckmann said last month that the project is currently in development hell. Apparently, no work has been done on it whatsoever since 2014. Among other reasons it needs to get going though is that Maisie Williams will soon age out of the role. Ellie is 14 and though Williams was 17 when the film was announced, she’s now 19 years old. Even if progress suddenly jump-starts, she would be in her 20s by the time filming for The Last of Us began.
In other words, it’s time to crack down and get this movie done, Screen Gems. The clock is ticking.