The Last of Us Movie Adaptation Was Scrapped After Years

Naughty Dog's first attempt to bring The Last of Us to screens was a feature film, not the HBO series. This fact resurfaced recently from a 2014 Sony Pictures announcement that the game was 'soon to be a major motion picture.'

That announcement came a year after the game's 2013 release. With Sony owning both the game studio and a film division, a cinematic adaptation seemed a natural synergy. Director Sam Raimi, known for his Spider-Man films at Sony, was originally attached to produce the project.

The Original Movie Pitch

Neil Druckmann, who directed the game. He stated the team would 'take into account the unique properties of film' but admitted it was early days for figuring out how to condense the narrative. By 2015, Druckmann had written a second draft of the script containing what he called 'pretty big changes' from the source material.

A table read had already occurred with unnamed actors. Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams was widely reported as a frontrunner to play Ellie, a casting many fans praised. Williams confirmed meeting with Druckmann and Raimi but noted there was no script or director finalized at that time. Kaitlyn Dever was also considered for the role of Ellie in the film; she later played Abby in the HBO television adaptation.

Development Hell

The project soon stalled. In 2016, Druckmann said the movie hadn't progressed for 'over a year' and had 'entered development hell like these things tend to do.' No director was ever officially signed, nor was a cast or release date ever set.

Druckmann recounted receiving conflicting creative notes during the film's development. He said movie executives told him to 'make it bigger, make it more like World War Z,' a direction he pushed back against. Conversely, he said HBO's Casey Bloys later advised, 'Do as much action as you need to, and no more. Do as much violence as you need to, and no more. Here, we sell drama.'

Why the TV Show Succeeded

Druckmann attributed the switch to television to HBO's approach. He said the network handled the source material with 'such reverence and artistry' and was supportive of the changes he and showrunner Craig Mazin made. This contrasted with his experience in the film development process.

Appearing on a podcast in 2024, Druckmann was blunt about the scrapped film. 'It would have been awful,' he said. 'It would have been one of those bad adaptations had we finished that one.' He explained the two-hour runtime limit and the executive feedback would have led the project 'down a bad path.'

Druckmann's perspective on adaptations also shifted. Where he once supported a direct film adaptation, by 2016 he said Naughty Dog had 'evolved our feelings.' 'As time goes on, we are not excited by a direct adaptation of a story for a game into a movie,' he told GamesBeat. 'We have told that story well, cinematically. The idea for The Last of Us film was to be a direct adaptation. I don't want that movie to be made.'

The HBO series premiered in January 2023 starring Bella Ramsey and Pedro Pascal. Its first season was a major critical and viewership success, with a second season following in 2025. A third season is now in development, though Druckmann has stepped back to focus on new projects at Naughty Dog.