HBO: The Last of Us

[𝘨⃨𝘭⃨𝘪⃨𝘵⃨𝘤⃨𝘩⃨10ᔦᔦ]

Yeah but general audiences aren’t gonna be crying online that Ellie doesn’t look like she does in the game. They don’t care and the studio doesn’t care either.

It’s a pointless discourse at this point, can’t be changed. Yeah there are people that looked closer to the game version but she performed the role well imo and there’s a reason they chose her.

If the info online is somewhat correct and Naughty Dog's annual revenue really is around 270-300 million (yes, that's per year), wouldn't it be a little selfish of them to say, "you know what? Screw the people that made us rich and supported us"?

 

[chrisstbh]

If the info online is somewhat correct and Naughty Dog's annual revenue really is around 270-300 million (yes, that's per year), wouldn't it be a little selfish of them to say, "you know what? Screw the people that made us rich and supported us"?

They’re not screwing anyone just cause some people think an actress is ugly.

 

[Asta]

Well, Ellie wanted to go into space so Fede Alavarez made it happen... from a certain point of view.

Of course, for good measure he sent her girlfriend there too...

Plus Lev...

And Rain's colony being named Jackson, with the message being broadcast, "if you feel like you're sick or have an infection, report it immediately."

Dad jokes too...




Easter eggs uniting two great franchises in a weird 'what if...'

 

[niekgrijz]

Well, Ellie wanted to go into space so Fede Alavarez made it happen... from a certain point of view.

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Of course, for good measure he sent her girlfriend there too...

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Plus Lev...

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And Rain's colony being named Jackson, with the message being broadcast, "if you feel like you're sick or have an infection, report it immediately."

Dad jokes too...




Easter eggs uniting two great franchises in a weird 'what if...'

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Yes im convinced the director based her off ellie. From her general appearance, the hairstyle, the acting. I think he even said he based Merced’s character on Dina and he was surprised to see she got casted as her in the HBO show

 

[niekgrijz]

https://www.imdb.com/news/ni6479184...arez revealed,influenced a big-story decision.

 

[chrisstbh]

 

[Skyroes]

Such a long wait but at least it’s earlier in the year. The only wait that’s harder than this one is The Boys season 5.

 

[The Buffinator]

Such a long wait but at least it’s earlier in the year. The only wait that’s harder than this one is The Boys season 5.

 

[Johnny Utah]

Andor is the hardest wait for me. Counting the days to April 22nd.

 

[R_R_X]

I know a lot of people hate AI, I'm not a big fan either, but I tried out the new Grok AI thanks to a friend and wanted to see what the most popular fancasts for Joel and Ellie would look like together. This thing is honestly pretty scary!

Spoiler

 

[𝘨⃨𝘭⃨𝘪⃨𝘵⃨𝘤⃨𝘩⃨10ᔦᔦ]

I know a lot of people hate AI, I'm not a big fan either, but I tried out the new Grok AI thanks to a friend and wanted to see what the most popular fancasts for Joel and Ellie would look like together. This thing is honestly pretty scary!

Spoiler

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Thats crazy. I never thought of Hugh as Joel, but it works. I kind of want to see them do a LoU movie with those two now.

 

[R_R_X]

Thats crazy. I never thought of Hugh as Joel, but it works. I kind of want to see them do a LoU movie with those two now.

He was people's number 1 pick to play Joel for a long time, especially after Logan, the other most popular candidate was Nikolaj-Coster Waldau. I personally like Jackman's grizzled look for Joel and Cailee Spaeny would've been an amazing Ellie too. Maybe in another universe.

 

[MeatHookGekko]

Yeah but general audiences aren’t gonna be crying online that Ellie doesn’t look like she does in the game. They don’t care and the studio doesn’t care either.

It’s a pointless discourse at this point, can’t be changed. Yeah there are people that looked closer to the game version but she performed the role well imo and there’s a reason they chose her.

Josh Brolin, Amy Adams and Kiernan Shipka were offered the major roles first. Obviously, to try to shield the dignity of those who actually did get cast, that's not exactly going to be broadcast from the rooftops by Mazin.

 

[chrisstbh]

Josh Brolin, Amy Adams and Kiernan Shipka were offered the major roles first. Obviously, to try to shield the dignity of those who actually did get cast, that's not exactly going to be broadcast from the rooftops by Mazin.

Me when I make stuff up

 

[niekgrijz]

Josh Brolin, Amy Adams and Kiernan Shipka were offered the major roles first. Obviously, to try to shield the dignity of those who actually did get cast, that's not exactly going to be broadcast from the rooftops by Mazin.

Ive seen all those fb posts too. But that dont make it true

 

[MeatHookGekko]

Personally, I wish McConaughey had made his return to HBO with the Joel part. It would have been interesting to see him in a role like this.

What is the upside?

For McConaughey I mean. The first game of TLOU has a complete narrative. A complete character arc for both Joel and Ellie. There is close to nowhere left to go. That there is doubt and an uncertain future is a critical function of the end of the storyline. You can't reboot a S2 or a 2nd video game without unwinding all you achieved in in the first game.

The 2nd game incited fandom. Not by a little, by a lot. There are themes in TLOU 2 and even some from the DLC that might have gotten accolades and virtue signaling in 2021, but it's not going to get it in 2025. The entire country, and the entire industry, faced a total complete carpet bombing of a repudiation of identitarian themes in any mass media/mass entertainment format.

Why attach yourself to something, that if it works, will only enrage fans and your viewer base and link you to that outrage? For an actor or actress with choices, why put yourself in that position. For the Ellie role, some young actresses and some of their handlers will not want to have that performer play a certain kind of role with a certain kind of lifestyle. From a career outlook perspective, you can do it, but you risk being typecast in any role you take. Reese Witherspoon is the classic test case of someone who turned down a ton of huge money making roles, because she did not want to be typecast in a certain direction. One could argue that Michelle Forbes made the right decision refusing to take a full time Star Trek role, to avoid that same risk.

Druckmann and Halley Gross can write whatever story they like. It's their story. That's OK. But they created a story that made a lot of this narrative extremely difficult to put on screen, market and cast. Hugh Jackman is chasing his first Oscar. How does any project he take moving forward help him in that direction? How does either starring in a video adaptation that might bomb help him? And if it succeeds, he'll be remembered for being Tiger Woods's in the dome and screaming for his life while pissing off fans all over the world at the exact same time. How does that help him moving forward? Josh Brolin has a much thinner awards resume than Jackman. How does doing TLOU help him under the same conditions.

If you don't have a locked in legacy IP like a Star Wars or Batman or Harry Potter, you need pure bankable star power or you need a great concept. Fox's Prison Break was a great concept that was able to overwhelm all the other flaws within it's production. It has real international legs. But once they actually got out of that prison, you could see the fracture points, which is why the show put all the major players back into yet another prison. If you get Jackman, you can entice a higher profile actress to play Tess. Then you have more to appeal to investors and the network to get a longer season, bigger budget and more push to get a stronger supporting cast.

There's a reason TLOU spends two full episodes away from Joel and Ellie together. There's a reason it's a short season. There's a reason there's a very thin level of total interaction with Pascal and Ramsey. No one thought this was going to be a hit. The entire scope of TLOU2, the game, from a narrative perspective, is to just plainly instigate against the existing fandom. You can do it, but it comes with a cost. The lack of flexibility to move this story to the televsion medium and the limitations inherent, including casting, is part of that price.

 

[Mr.E]

What is the upside?

For McConaughey I mean. The first game of TLOU has a complete narrative. A complete character arc for both Joel and Ellie. There is close to nowhere left to go. That there is doubt and an uncertain future is a critical function of the end of the storyline. You can't reboot a S2 or a 2nd video game without unwinding all you achieved in in the first game.

The 2nd game incited fandom. Not by a little, by a lot. There are themes in TLOU 2 and even some from the DLC that might have gotten accolades and virtue signaling in 2021, but it's not going to get it in 2025. The entire country, and the entire industry, faced a total complete carpet bombing of a repudiation of identitarian themes in any mass media/mass entertainment format.

Why attach yourself to something, that if it works, will only enrage fans and your viewer base and link you to that outrage? For an actor or actress with choices, why put yourself in that position. For the Ellie role, some young actresses and some of their handlers will not want to have that performer play a certain kind of role with a certain kind of lifestyle. From a career outlook perspective, you can do it, but you risk being typecast in any role you take. Reese Witherspoon is the classic test case of someone who turned down a ton of huge money making roles, because she did not want to be typecast in a certain direction. One could argue that Michelle Forbes made the right decision refusing to take a full time Star Trek role, to avoid that same risk.

Druckmann and Halley Gross can write whatever story they like. It's their story. That's OK. But they created a story that made a lot of this narrative extremely difficult to put on screen, market and cast. Hugh Jackman is chasing his first Oscar. How does any project he take moving forward help him in that direction? How does either starring in a video adaptation that might bomb help him? And if it succeeds, he'll be remembered for being Tiger Woods's in the dome and screaming for his life while pissing off fans all over the world at the exact same time. How does that help him moving forward? Josh Brolin has a much thinner awards resume than Jackman. How does doing TLOU help him under the same conditions.

If you don't have a locked in legacy IP like a Star Wars or Batman or Harry Potter, you need pure bankable star power or you need a great concept. Fox's Prison Break was a great concept that was able to overwhelm all the other flaws within it's production. It has real international legs. But once they actually got out of that prison, you could see the fracture points, which is why the show put all the major players back into yet another prison. If you get Jackman, you can entice a higher profile actress to play Tess. Then you have more to appeal to investors and the network to get a longer season, bigger budget and more push to get a stronger supporting cast.

There's a reason TLOU spends two full episodes away from Joel and Ellie together. There's a reason it's a short season. There's a reason there's a very thin level of total interaction with Pascal and Ramsey. No one thought this was going to be a hit. The entire scope of TLOU2, the game, from a narrative perspective, is to just plainly instigate against the existing fandom. You can do it, but it comes with a cost. The lack of flexibility to move this story to the televsion medium and the limitations inherent, including casting, is part of that price.

Well put. Honestly, as a non-gamer, I think the game was surprisingly more engaging, and thus more successful than what HBO turned out. I don't know if it's due to casting or performance, but I just don't believe the Pascal/Ramsay bond. I also think Pascal is "in everything" now, it seems, which, good for him. He was engaging and charming as the Viper on Game of Thrones, but now... with Mandalorian, this, Marvel, Gladiator 2, etc.

In regards to McConaughey and those others, you make a valid point. Selfishly, I'd just like to see him make a return to that lighting in a bottle performance along the lines of True Detective even though I know it won't happen. I also think he's a better actor than Pascal, but that's my opinion. I just don't see the appeal in some actors (take Nicolas Cage, for instance).

I digress. At the end of the day, none of this matters. The game remains superior to the adaption even if you watch only the "Movie/cutscenes edit". It came out during a time when the whole apocalypse narrative was at it's most recent peak in popularity (Remember The Walking Dead was still good at this point?).