Before The Last of Us became a hit HBO series, the video game was nearly adapted for the big screen.
In 2014, it was announced that a film, based on the video game of the same name, was in the works with Sam Raimi set to direct. Two years later, there was no movement on the project.
The Last of Us creator and Neil Druckman explained that it was an “impossible task” to make the movie, while speaking with The Hollywood Reporter in January 2023. Druckman, 46, further explained that things changed when he met the HBO show’s cocreator Craig Mazin.
“He’s such a good storyteller, I was finding myself emotionally moved by a story that — for all intents and purposes — I shouldn’t be moved by anymore,” Druckman said of his collaborator. “I realized that this is what I got wrong every other time — I didn’t have the right partner.”
As a result, the idea of a The Last of Us TV show was born. Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey were cast to star as Joel and Ellie, respectively, and the series premiered in January 2023.
While not much movement on the now-defunct The Last of Us movie actually happened, Ellie was cast — and no, Ramsey was not the initial star. Kaitlyn Dever has confirmed that she was set to take on the role. Now, Dever is gearing up to appear in season 2 of the HBO series, but as a totally different character. The actress is bringing Abby, who makes her first appearance in The Last of Us: Part II video game, to life.
Dever, 28, recalled when she first met Druckman while the movie was still in development during an interview with Entertainment Weekly published on Wednesday, April 2.
“They were actually making the second game,” the actress shared. “I was seeing the first drawings of older Ellie, and he told me what happens, too. Talk about spoiler alerts.”
At the time, Dever didn’t know that Abby was the one who was in charge of Joel’s fate (if you know, you know), but she’s been “keeping that secret for years.”
Dever stayed top of mind when The Last of Us was being developed into the HBO series. She was too old to play Ellie in season 1, so Abby became the logical choice.
“I had already seen season 1, and I was obsessed with it,” she told EW. “And, yeah, they just asked me to play Abby, which was crazy, so crazy.”
Dever added: “I believe that the things that are meant to be in your life will be in your life. I always thought about The Last of Us. … I would say it was pretty surreal when it came back around in my life in a different way.”
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