With the premiere of The Last of Us Just around the corner, details continue to emerge about how Sony planned to adapt the popular PlayStation video game. The original idea, in fact, was to create a movie, not a series. The project was so advanced that those responsible for production were already looking for the leading actors, and several names were on the table.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Neil Druckmann, showrunner of the series and one of the masterminds behind the video game, said that there were “dozens and dozens” of candidates to play Joel and Ellie. However, in the case of the minor, there was one name that ranked above the rest: maisie williams. Yes, the actress who gave life to Arya Stark in Game of Thrones could be Ellie in the canceled movie of The Last of Us.
The producers’ intention was for the role of Ellie to be played by an actress who was tough, but also vulnerable; that despite her young age she was able to exhibit a violent attitude. Who better than Maisie Williams?
The British actress shone as Arya Stark from start to finish. Although she initially denoted innocence, as the seasons went by she became a tenacious, brave character and, in the last episodes, feared. Arya, in fact, was the one who assassinated the King of the Night, the greatest threat to the kingdoms of Westeros. Therefore, it is not surprising that she has been considered to be Ellie in a movie of The Last of Us.
Now, the production ran into a problem that was impossible to stop: Maisie Williams was growing up, which made it difficult to adapt it to Ellie’s age. In the first game of The Last of Us, which is the narrative basis of the series and at her time in the film, Ellie is only 14 years old. Consequently, they were forced to write off Williams.
The rest of the story we already know. Sony scrapped the feature film and preferred to ally with HBO, distinguished by the quality of its productions, to create a series. Despite the change of course that the project had, the mission of finding an actress who met these characteristics remained in force.
In the end, Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin settled on Bella Ramseywho curiously also fascinated the audience of Game of Thrones for her performance as Lyanna Mormont. Being honest, her choice was very successful.
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Regarding the movie The Last of UsThere are several reasons that led to its cancellation. Basically, did not meet standards that demanded the franchise. It was closer to an adventure type resident Evil either World War Z instead of inheriting the serious and tense tone of the video game.
In addition, they determined that it was an impossible task to tell the events of the first installment, which lasts almost 15 hours, in a single feature film. The episodic format, then, emerged as a lifeline. Remember that The Last of Us the next one opens January 15 exclusively on HBO Max.