HBO: The Last of Us

[R_R_X]

The first Last of Us game is my favourite game and one of my favourite pieces of narrative fiction ever.

I agree that I love seeing ruined cities and ghost towns in post apocalyptic stuff, your brain fills in the blanks. When we first meet Ellie, she's tense around Joel. But as you venture through the game and come across the various threats together, it's amazing to see them bond.

One of the main things I loved about the story is the fact that other humans are as dangerous as the infected out there. The cannibal section was genuinely unsettling the first time I played it, when Ellie sees the hand being chopped off into a pile, and Joel comes across the bodies hanging upside down.

The cannibals in TWD season 5's opening scene came close to that, but nothing else has since.

Agreed on all points, it's also one of the few pieces of this genre that manages to perfectly balance the infected and human threats, in other movies or games it feels like the zombies/infected always take a back seat to the human threats when those are introduced, in the first TLOU that never feels like the case, in fact I think the infected still feel like the biggest threat around in the first game, Sarah is killed because of the fear and paranoia sorrounding the infection in the beginning, during gameplay every corner could have an infected waiting to jump on you, poor Sam is bitten and turned into one, Ellie's whole character is built on her survivor's guilt for being immune while her friend/lover had to turn and die, even the cannibals immediatly take a step back when they see Ellie's bite wound, even during the calmer moments of the game you're always with your guard up waiting for a clicker to jump on you, I was disappointed to see how the infected were almost absent for a large portion of the second game, the only time they feel like a real threat is when you're locked with them somewhere, I don't even think anyone got bit or killed by an infected during the whole story, aside from random NPCs of course.

 

[Asta]

Huh, just caught onto this. I'm actually more excited that Craig Mazin is involved. Chernobyl is one of the best things to come out of TV.

Chernobyl was phenomenal, and chilling.

 

[Johnny Utah]

The makeup effects team from Chernobyl are also working on this too.

Anyone with Instagram ought follow Barrie Gower, he worked on Game of Thrones too.

 

[MeatHookGekko]

Yeah, they'll definitely find some way to botch this.

That's what I've never understood about most video game shows and movies. They have their source material to adapt right there. It's already popular and people like it but they always have to change something that fundamentally changes everything.

Like in Doom they changed it from demons from hell to aliens. Why?

Cost certainty.

Clint Eastwood and Hillary Swank have both come out over the years and discussed how Eastwood couldn't make Million Dollar Baby for a very long time since he couldn't find financing for it. Investors are going to only really want to invest in known proven quantities that have shown they can generate money and have an established fan base.

Potential investors are "fans" too in some fashion. An established IP can trigger their nostalgia to make a project versus not.

IMHO, HBO version of TLOU is going to come down to the chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey. That will be the "heart" of the show and what will cement an audience and get them to invest. As Joel is more of a stoic type of lead character, then it will really fall on Bella Ramsey to carry most of the emotional investment onto her tiny little shoulders. She's a fantastic actress though, she was phenomenal in Game Of Thrones. It's pretty rare to see a young actress chew up seasoned actors around her and hold her own ground with so little experience ( Probably have to go back to Hailee Steinfeld and True Grit to find another example)

I think it's possible, just pretty difficult. The Adjustment Bureau is a good film to see how there is immense pressure to create character chemistry very fast and sell it to the audience. Emily Blunt did most of the heavy lifting, I consider Matt Damon pretty much a zero in the charisma department.

I suspect if HBO makes it to S2, that they will have to modify the TLOU2 plotline with some other surrogate characters as the massive loss instead of Joel. I don't see HBO being so eager as Druckmann to self inflict so much damage on it's own investment.

Honestly if HBO's TLOU uses the Coen Brothers True Grit as a framework, this show could be really good. True Grit was really an emotionally devastating film working on multiple levels. There's a lot of similarities between Mattie Ross and Ellie.

 

[Asta]

IMHO, HBO version of TLOU is going to come down to the chemistry between Pascal and Ramsey. That will be the "heart" of the show and what will cement an audience and get them to invest. As Joel is more of a stoic type of lead character, then it will really fall on Bella Ramsey to carry most of the emotional investment onto her tiny little shoulders. She's a fantastic actress though, she was phenomenal in Game Of Thrones. It's pretty rare to see a young actress chew up seasoned actors around her and hold her own ground with so little experience ( Probably have to go back to Hailee Steinfeld and True Grit to find another example)

I'd add Millie Bobby Brown to the list. She was incredible at a really young age in Intruders, playing an adult male psychopath trapped in a girl's body.

I wasn't really pinning much hope on the TLOU series at first, because it would be in the towering shadow of the game itself, but as it's getting closer my interest has grown.

 

[Johnny Utah]

They shot the 'He ain't even hurt' scene today ❤

 

[Asta]

They shot the 'He ain't even hurt' scene today ❤

 

[Asta]

Just recently I saw a post mentioning The Girl with All the Gifts (2016), based on the novel of the same name by M.R. Carey which was published in June 2014, but based on his 2013 short story Iphigenia In Aulis.

I can't remember what site I saw it on, or what it was in association with, but I remembered it was a film I dismissed after watching the first ten minutes.

I didn't realise until looking into it more, and watching it this morning, that it was practically a version of The Last of Us.

It has a post apocalyptic wasteland; a cordyceps virus which creates zombies hungry for human flesh, who in turn infect their victims with fungal spores; a military engaged in researching a vaccine, which entails killing the test subjects since the fungus grows on the brain; a girl who may have the cure, and a gruff and initially reluctant father figure.

While the ending is very different, as is the evolution of the virus, it's not a huge stretch to see this film/book as occurring in Britain at the same time as the events of TLOU in the US.

 

[R_R_X]

First teaser trailer, still not feeling it, somehow it looks less "cinematic" than the game?

Pedro looks nothing like Joel, the patchy beard is what it is but I'm suprised he doesn't have his nose scar, seems like a pretty important physical trait of the character to be missing but I do hear a slight texan accent in there, it's like Mando if he was a Texan lol.

Bella is the one I'm seeing people attack very harshly online, mostly due to her appearance, funnily enough I got more Ellie in the brief moment of her fixing the car's rearview mirror.

Nick Offerman should be great as Bill but I do wish W. Earl Brown was reprising the role, extremely underrated actor.

The prologue is going to be something I'll probably enjoy seeing in live action since so many zombie movies don't nail the feel of how chaotic and frightening a zombie outbreak would be which the game nailed perfectly.

We get a glimpse of a clicker at the very end which is probably what I'm most curious to see.

I'm still more excited for the game's remake coming out in under 2 weeks, it looks absolutely gorgeous and blurring the line between game and realism enough for me to consider it "live action" haha, can't beat the classic and the beautiful performances of Ahsley Johnson and Troy Baker.

Thoughts, @Asta ?

 

[Asta]

First teaser trailer, still not feeling it, somehow it looks less "cinematic" than the game?


View attachment 595764
Pedro looks nothing like Joel, the patchy beard is what it is but I'm suprised he doesn't have his nose scar, seems like a pretty important physical trait of the character to be missing but I do hear a slight texan accent in there, it's like Mando if he was a Texan lol.

View attachment 595765
View attachment 595766
Bella is the one I'm seeing people attack very harshly online, mostly due to her appearance, funnily enough I got more Ellie in the brief moment of her fixing the car's rearview mirror.

View attachment 595769
Nick Offerman should be great as Bill but I do wish W. Earl Brown was reprising the role, extremely underrated actor.

View attachment 595768
The prologue is going to be something I'll probably enjoy seeing in live action since so many zombie movies don't nail the feel of how chaotic and frightening a zombie outbreak would be which the game nailed perfectly.

View attachment 595770
We get a glimpse of a clicker at the very end which is probably what I'm most curious to see.

I'm still more excited for the game's remake coming out in under 2 weeks, it looks absolutely gorgeous and blurring the line between game and realism enough for me to consider it "live action" haha, can't beat the classic and the beautiful performances of Ahsley Johnson and Troy Baker.
View attachment 595771

Thoughts, @Asta ?

I'll get around to looking at it later. A bit preoccupied at the moment with a new toy (Hot Toys' Luke Snowspeeder).

 

[Jay Virtual]

Honestly there's nothing new here when it comes to videogame adaptations therefore I can't say I'm disappointed, they're all just cheap cash grabs that tries to cram in as many references as they can with the "See? We did the thing!" moments and I don't see this being any different. The only videogame movie I remotely enjoy was the first Silent Hill movie from 2006.

 

[R_R_X]

I'll get around to looking at it later. A bit preoccupied at the moment with a new toy (Hot Toys' Luke Snowspeeder).

Happy unboxing!

Honestly there's nothing new here when it comes to videogame adaptations therefore I can't say I'm disappointed, they're all just cheap cash grabs that tries to cram in as many references as they can with the "See? We did the thing!" moments and I don't see this being any different. The only videogame movie I remotely enjoy was the first Silent Hill movie from 2006.

I too would've loved to see brand new stories and characters in this universe but I guess they needed Joel and Ellie to sell the idea, I agree that the vast majority of video game adaptations SUCK, I find them to be more enjoyable when they try to be their own thing like the Silent Hill movie or the first Resident Evil movie, direct adaptations never live up to the games.

 

[Jay Virtual]

Happy unboxing!

I too would've loved to see brand new stories and characters in this universe but I guess they needed Joel and Ellie to sell the idea, I agree that the vast majority of video game adaptations SUCK, I find them to be more enjoyable when they try to be their own thing like the Silent Hill movie or the first Resident Evil movie, direct adaptations never live up to the games.

Yeah, I would definitely watch this if they're doing stories set within the game world but with completely original characters and stories without Joel and Ellie (kinda like the original Resident Evil movie that was actually set in the game universe but retconned in the sequels) but just looking at the teaser, I'm guessing it's just the same approach of cramming in as many reference and Easter Eggs just like any other game adaptation. I could not even watch the last Resident Evil Racoon City and Uncharted movies because I just cant stand "See? We did the thing!" kind of movies.

 

[jkno]

I really hope the series will live up to our expectations. Both main actors, Pedro and Bella, are good actors, so it is up to the script and directing to have a memorable series. The game was amazing.

 

[Asta]

First teaser trailer, still not feeling it, somehow it looks less "cinematic" than the game?

As a short teaser that's intended to grab attention, it was pretty uninspiring.

View attachment 595764
Pedro looks nothing like Joel, the patchy beard is what it is but I'm suprised he doesn't have his nose scar, seems like a pretty important physical trait of the character to be missing but I do hear a slight texan accent in there, it's like Mando if he was a Texan lol.

View attachment 595765
View attachment 595766
Bella is the one I'm seeing people attack very harshly online, mostly due to her appearance, funnily enough I got more Ellie in the brief moment of her fixing the car's rearview mirror.

The likenesses are the biggest obstacle to fully accepting this as really TLOU, as opposed to cosplaying TLOU. Bella is a great actress, but so distinctive in appearance that it's going to rely on things playing out well in real time. Something you can't get from these brief snippets.

View attachment 595768
The prologue is going to be something I'll probably enjoy seeing in live action since so many zombie movies don't nail the feel of how chaotic and frightening a zombie outbreak would be which the game nailed perfectly.

There was a terrifying reality to the game prologue. When zombie movies "nail" that chaos and fear it can be the most engaging part, since later on the characters, along with the audience, become inured to the horror. It's no longer shocking, but rather a mundane part of life (as it is after so many seasons of The Walking Dead).

I'm still more excited for the game's remake coming out in under 2 weeks, it looks absolutely gorgeous and blurring the line between game and realism enough for me to consider it "live action" haha, can't beat the classic and the beautiful performances of Ahsley Johnson and Troy Baker.
View attachment 595771

Thoughts, @Asta ?

I look forward to the decaying world of the TV series, and hope it captures the quiet loneliness, and the impending threat.

In games I've experienced it in the expected places, as in the Fallout 3 series, and also once in the most unexpected place: one of the Grand Theft Auto games. I walked down an alleyway and found a courtyard between buildings. It was suddenly quiet, and I was alone, isolated from the hustle and bustle of the active game world.

I like watching urban exploration videos, as it's the nearest real world sensation you can get to the apocalypse. Watching Urbex Hill's latest explore of Cleveland there was a whole road of overgrown and crumbling houses that instantly made me think they could've filmed TLOU here without adding any set dressing!

 

[ironwez20]

I will say this. It’s better than whatever the hell they did with resident evil.

 

[MeatHookGekko]

Honestly there's nothing new here when it comes to videogame adaptations therefore I can't say I'm disappointed, they're all just cheap cash grabs that tries to cram in as many references as they can with the "See? We did the thing!" moments and I don't see this being any different. The only videogame movie I remotely enjoy was the first Silent Hill movie from 2006.

I see two big hopes since this is on HBO

1) HBO is known for "prestige" television. There's generally a minimum bar of quality for their original programming. So this will have high production values. Also this means shorter seasons compared to something like the CW or other networks. So maybe if you get 10 episodes, what we all get is really like 10 little mini movies in terms of craft and care

2) HBO doesn't have a current "flagship" show. There's no current Sopranos type juggernaut in their lineup. If this becomes their flagship show, that means more budget, more attention and care and a better chance to draw in even more quality actors/writers/directors, etc, etc.

And hopefully we get some cool figures out of it. And for those who won't like the IP, maybe the loose parts market will pick up some civilian type gear that is more well rounded outside of the common military/Marvel tropes.

 

[Jay Virtual]

I see two big hopes since this is on HBO

1) HBO is known for "prestige" television. There's generally a minimum bar of quality for their original programming. So this will have high production values. Also this means shorter seasons compared to something like the CW or other networks. So maybe if you get 10 episodes, what we all get is really like 10 little mini movies in terms of craft and care

2) HBO doesn't have a current "flagship" show. There's no current Sopranos type juggernaut in their lineup. If this becomes their flagship show, that means more budget, more attention and care and a better chance to draw in even more quality actors/writers/directors, etc, etc.

And hopefully we get some cool figures out of it. And for those who won't like the IP, maybe the loose parts market will pick up some civilian type gear that is more well rounded outside of the common military/Marvel tropes.

I hope so! Nothing is more awesome than thinking something's gonna suck and being proven wrong!

 

[R_R_X]

 

[ironwez20]

Looks great!