The Last of Us was almost an animated series before HBO’s adaptation

The Last of Us was reportedly almost turned into an animated series that would have included motion-capture performances before HBO decided to instead adapt the beloved video game into a live-action TV show.

HBO’s live-action adaption of the beloved video game The Last of Us has been a massive hit for the streaming service, the first season of the show even surpassing House of the Dragon’s viewership numbers. 

And while adaption of the game for live-action seemed like an obvious choice given how already cinematic the experience was for gamers, there was a time in which the content was being considered as an animated series. 

Jeffrey Pierce, who voices Tommy in The Last of Us game and played a supporting character in the show, recently revealed during an interview with The Direct that, before being developed as a live-action series, The Last of Us almost went down a very different route. Admitting that a mo-cap and CGI animated series of The Last of Us was workshopped as an idea.

“There have been a couple of different iterations over time. There was a movie at one point. There was a motion-capture cinematic animated series at one point.”

The Last of Us has been a massive success in live-action

Given how successful the live-action adaptation has been, it’s interesting to imagine a world in which it was instead created as an animated series or a film. And while this animated series may have been another great way to adapt the story of The Last of Us, the live-action transition has set a new precedent for video game adaptions, especially games that focus on a more cinematic experience and are narrative-driven.

However, one thing we do know is that the TV series is here to stay, with season 2 of the HBO show confirmed to be in the works.

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