The Playstation-exclusive game was set to become a feature film after Screen Gems secured the rights to adapt the game into a movie in 2014. Druckmann was supposed to write the film’s script, and Sam Raimi, best known for the Spider-Man trilogy, would helm the project. Additionally, Bruce Campbell and Maisie Williams were rumored to play the roles of Joel and Ellie, respectively. According to a recent interview with the New Yorker, Druckmann explained that his mistrust of the studio executives was the primary reason why the project never made it off the ground, since they wanted the film to be bigger and “sexier,” which would make it “a particular kind of movie.” Druckmann’s vision for the film was to create something akin to the 2007 film, No Country for Old Men, but the studio wished to adapt the game into a film like World War Z. Cited as one of the greatest video games ever made, Druckmann felt that it was necessary to expand the game’s audience to people who would never play it, and adapting the game into a film was the way to go. After Druckmann and the studio executives reached an impasse, the project languished in development hell and ultimately forced Screen Gems to dump it. Fortunately, Druckmann learned from Carter Swan that Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin was interested in making a live-action adaptation of the game. Responsible for the expansion of Sony’s I.P., Carter previously clashed with Druckmann in the past, and Craig Mazin’s concerns about adapting the game into a film turned him into the perfect partner for Druckmann. Druckmann expressed his wish to meet Craig, saying: Conveniently, Druckmann and Craig got to work together on the upcoming series, which the game’s creator has dubbed “the best, most authentic game adaptation” yet. Craig has, however, approached the project with caution, stating that that isn’t a very high bar. In his words, he picked the video game with the “best story” to adapt into film, essentially gifting him the chance to do better than other adaptations. Druckmann has also expressed that discretion is important when you adapt video games, saying “[directors] think people want to see the gameplay onscreen.” An accurate illustration of this is the Doom video game series, which was adapted into the 2005 film of the same name starring Karl Urban, Rosamund Pike, and Dwayne Johnson. Craig and Druckmann agreed on this, emphasizing that some games do not need adaptations. Although it’s been a long wait to see a live-action adaptation of the popular game, fans will be grateful that the minds behind the project are not making any compromises. The series is set to premiere on HBO on January 15.
