'It Was Never Gonna Be A Great [One]' The Last Of Us Was Almost Two Completely Different Things Before The Show Was Finalized

The Last of Us is one of the best video game adaptations fans have gotten so far, and while that success has had a lot to do with the show’s leeway to explore and expand on the game’s most poignant bits, the production almost went in a different direction, twice.

The Last Of Us was one of the most popular exclusives on the PlayStation 4, and was a prime candidate for an adaptation thanks to its story-focused experience and well-developed characters. While it did get graphic novels, animated shorts, and even a real-world haunted house to expand on the experience, fans didn’t get what they really wanted until the live-action show for HBO was announced. It was a massive hit, and The Last Of Us even managed to beat House Of The Dragon on the Nielsen streaming chart thanks to just how well the narrative took to the new medium.

While there are a fair few movies that match the appeal of The Last Of Us, fans might not realize that the HBO show was pretty close to being not one but two different movies like that itself. As reported by Collider, The Last of Us game series voice and motion caption actor Jeffrey Pierce, who portrays Joel's brother Tommy, spoke on his time at a table read for the adaptation when it was still being developed as a feature film. While some fans might be aware of the early plans for a movie version, Pierce sheds light on how far down the line the idea got, with a second sort of movie project even being considered before the current TV format. "As good as it was, it was never gonna be a great movie,” Pierce revealed, referring to the live-action movie adaptation. “In a two-hour runtime, how are you gonna tell 14, 17 hours of story? Then I think that there was some conversation about it maybe being an animation motion-capture movie series at some point, and that seemed like a good idea, but we've been down that road."

Truncating The Last Of Us Down To A Film Probably Wouldn't Have Worked Well

It’s certainly interesting that the film project got as far as table reads before being thrown out, as that implies a full script and the intent to start on production. However, the second idea that Peirce touched on is certainly more interesting. An animated feature with motion capture would have certainly been a prominent choice for a video game adaptation, but it wouldn’t have had quite the same appeal and uniqueness, aesthetically speaking. Furthermore, the streaming series approach gives the creatives on the project the freedom needed to realize their vision without the outside influence and pressure that often comes with theatrical projects, which rely on big openings and massive fan appeal to make a profit on massive production and marketing budgets made even more steep by the heightened expectations on costume, CGI and score that comes with a theatrical adaptation. While The Last Of Us didn’t necessarily cheap out on any of those (as very few, if any, HBO shows would), there’s no denying that the project benefited massively from the less-than-stellar expectations fans have for video game adaptations and streaming-era shows.

While a feature film or two could potentially have launched the franchise to a wider market, there’s no doubt that the show has proven to be much better for the style and scope of the IP’s story. Best yet, there’s more on the way beyond the upcoming second installment already confirmed. Fortunately, a report suggests that The Last of Us fans probably don’t have to wait long for season 3, which could start pre-production in just a few months. As the show’s story expands on the plot of the game series even further, viewers can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the creatives behind it all chose the right medium for this adaptation.

The Last of Us Season 1 is available to stream on Max, with season 2 set to premiere on April 13, 2025.