Naughty Canine’s first effort to adapt The Final of Us for the display was not as an HBO TV present, however a film, a undeniable fact that lately started doing the rounds once more on social media. Like with many Hollywood productions, The Final of Us had a tumultuous, lengthy improvement interval as a film earlier than it was finally deserted in favor of what’s now a success collection.
Whereas not everybody agrees with the artistic departures from the supply materials for the TV collection on HBO, it is undeniably successful and one in every of HBO’s largest hits currently. Let’s look again at how The Final of Us originated as a film and run via the important thing developments that led to it changing into a TV present.
The unique film pitch
Individuals throughout X lately found a publish from Sony Footage in 2014 declaring that The Final of Us was “quickly to be a significant movement image.”
This was an actual, studio-sponsored picture, not a fan mock-up. There was formally produced key artwork, exhibiting Ellie wielding a knife. There was a “secret panel” at San Diego Comedian-Con that yr that includes director Sam Raimi, who was initially hooked up to provide the film, having already had large success at Sony together with his Spider-Man movies.
That The Final of Us was initially going to be a film isn’t a surprise given what number of online game motion pictures got here earlier than it and what number of have been launched since (with various levels of success).
This was a yr after The Final of Us got here out in 2013. It was a sizzling property, as the sport was a essential and a business success for Naughty Canine and Sony. With Sony additionally proudly owning and working its personal movie studio, all of the synergies have been there for Sony to make a Final of Us movie.
Neil Druckmann, who directed The Final of Us sport, confirmed in 2014 that the film would adapt the story of The Final of Us, versus branching off in another method. On the time, Druckmann mentioned the film would “keep in mind the distinctive properties of movie,” however he harassed it was early days and the group hadn’t but mapped out how it might condense the sport’s story right into a two-hour movie. In 2015, Druckmann confirmed he had written a second draft of the film’s script, which he mentioned contained “fairly large modifications” from the supply materials.
It was additionally presently that Druckmann mentioned a desk learn had already taken place with “a bunch of actors,” although he didn’t title any outright. Recreation of Thrones star Maisie Williams was mentioned to be a frontrunner to play Ellie, and many individuals mentioned that casting was excellent. Williams herself confirmed she met with Druckmann and Raimi about it, however remarked on the time that there was no script or director at that time. Williams, who was 17 on the time, additionally joked on the time that she hoped Sony would make the film shortly as a result of, “In the event that they make it in 30 years, they cannot have a 40-year-old Ellie.” Kaitlyn Dever was additionally thought-about for the position of Ellie within the movie, and, spoiler alert: Dever would go on to play Ellie’s adversary, Abby, within the HBO TV present.
Improvement Hell
Hollywood productions can take a whole lot of time to come back collectively, and when the manufacturing course of goes on for an prolonged time period, that is often called “Improvement Hell.” The Final of Us film was one more instance of this unlucky phenomenon.
In 2016, Druckmann mentioned the film hadn’t progressed for “over a yr” at that time. “It type of entered improvement hell like these items are inclined to do,” he mentioned. The film additionally by no means had a director signed on, nor was there a forged or a launch date.
This would not be the final time a Naughty Canine movie mission was topic to improvement hell, because the Uncharted film is a really notorious instance of this, however that did finally come collectively for launch in 2022 after a decade of improvement.
The Final of Us “would have been terrible” as a film
Druckmann mentioned in an interview with Sacred Symbols that film executives advised him to “make it larger, make it extra like World Struggle Z,” and he pushed again in opposition to this. “Go make World Struggle Z. Why make The Final of Us? The Final of Us will not be that,” he mentioned. Conversely, Druckmann mentioned HBO boss Casey Bloys advised him, “‘Do as a lot motion as you want to, and no extra. Do as a lot violence as you want to, and no extra. Right here, we promote drama.'”
Druckmann mentioned he obtained the alternative notes when The Final of Us was envisioned as a characteristic movie. It is not a stretch to think about that is a part of the explanation why Naughty Canine opted for a TV present as a substitute of a movie, along with there being a extra supportive and understanding group at HBO to provide and again the present.
Druckmann additionally mentioned HBO approached the supply materials with “such reverence and artistry,” making certain Naughty Canine can be concerned within the course of too. This isn’t all the time the case, in fact, because the Baldur’s Gate TV collection at HBO doesn’t contain Larian Studios. Druckmann additionally talked about that HBO was supportive of the various modifications to the supply materials that Druckmann and author/showrunner Craig Mazin made.
Showing on Logically Talking in 2024, Druckmann mentioned the film model of The Final of Us “would have been terrible.” He mentioned, “It could have been a kind of dangerous diversifications had we completed that one.”
“You could have two hours, max, and the suggestions I obtained was, ‘This can lead it down a nasty path,'” he added.
In a current interview with GamesBeat, Druckmann mentioned he modified his thoughts about the right way to strategy such initiatives. Whereas in 2014 he mentioned The Final of Us film can be an adaptation of the sport, in 2016, he mentioned Naughty Canine had “advanced our emotions” about diversifications.
“As time goes on, we’re not excited by a direct adaptation of a narrative for a sport right into a film,” Druckmann mentioned. “We have now advised that story effectively, cinematically. The thought for The Final of Us movie was to be a direct adaptation. I don’t need that film to be made.”
Druckmann certainly obtained his want, and that film was by no means made. The TV collection with HBO, in the meantime, premiered in January 2023, and its first season–starring Bella Ramsey as Ellie and Pedro Pascal as Joel–was an enormous success when it comes to essential reception and viewership numbers. A second season aired in 2025, and was equally profitable, although not fairly to the identical diploma. A 3rd–and doubtlessly final–season is within the works now, however Druckmann dropped out to concentrate on Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet and different initiatives at Naughty Canine (possibly The Final of Us 3?).