Last time we heard any news about this project was encapsulated in the four words “Currently in Development,” and as of now, there hasn’t been much progress in this situation. However, according to producer Sam Raimi, this project has been temporarily shelved due to disagreements between Sony and writer Neil Druckmann regarding which details should be included in the film.
“I have my own plans, and Neil has his own opinions. I can’t say that my ideas align with Neil’s plans, which are quite different from Sony’s. And my company has no rights whatsoever, so I can’t really help him out,” Raimi stated.
Raimi further explained that while he is the producer for the film, he is aware that Sony and Druckmann have the final say in how it is executed.
“If there could be an agreement between us, I would certainly want to be involved. However, at this point, it seems like there hasn’t been a satisfactory agreement. I won’t be trying to persuade Neil because this could only create a rift between both sides regarding the film,” he added.
In January 2015, the script for The Last of Us was quite highly rated, but by the following February, writer Druckmann stated that there hadn’t been any significant work done on the script.
The cast had gone through the script, but they noted that it was only a draft, and other actors have not been confirmed or provided any additional information. The only actress expressing interest was Maisie Williams, who felt a strong connection to the role of Ellie and mentioned she would be very excited to participate in the film.
Thus, while it was announced back in 2014, the dream of seeing The Last of Us on screen still feels quite distant.
