The Unmade Last of Us Movie Inspires HBO Season 2 Narrative
Before The Last of Us transformed into a blockbuster HBO series, the video game almost made its way to the big screen.
In 2014, plans for a film adaptation of the titular video game were announced, with Sam Raimi set to take the director’s chair. However, by 2016, the project showed no signs of progress.
Creator of The Last of Us, Neil Druckman, referred to it as an “impossible task” to adapt into a movie, during an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in January 2023. Druckman, now 46, noted that everything changed after he connected with the HBO show’s co-creator Craig Mazin.
“He’s an exceptional storyteller, and I found myself emotionally moved by a narrative that I should have been desensitized to,” Druckman remarked about his partner. “I came to the realization that I had been wrong all along — I didn’t have the right collaborator.”
From this collaboration, the concept for a The Last of Us television series emerged. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were chosen to portray Joel and Ellie, respectively, with the series debuting in January 2023.
Even though there was little progress on the scrapped The Last of Us film, casting for Ellie did take place — though Ramsey was not the original choice. Kaitlyn Dever revealed that she was slated to play the role. Now, Dever is preparing to join the second season of the HBO series, but as a completely new character. She will portray Abby, who makes her debut in the The Last of Us: Part II video game.
Dever, 28, recalled her first interaction with Druckman when the movie was still in the works during a conversation with Entertainment Weekly published on Wednesday, April 2.
“They were in the process of creating the second game,” the actress shared. “I was shown the initial sketches of an older Ellie and he revealed significant plot points. Talk about spoiler alerts.”
At that time, Dever was unaware that Abby would play a crucial role in Joel’s destiny (if you know, you know), but she has been “holding that secret for years.”
Dever remained a prominent consideration when The Last of Us transitioned into the HBO adaptation. She was too aged to portray Ellie in season 1, leading to the natural selection of Abby instead.
“I had already binge-watched season 1 and was obsessed with it,” she confessed to EW. “Then they approached me to play Abby, which was unbelievable, just insane.”
Dever concluded: “I believe that what’s destined to be in your life will find its way to you. I’ve always thought about The Last of Us. … It felt incredibly surreal when it returned to me in a different capacity.”
