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More than two years ago, HBO announced that they would be making a TV series adaptation of Naughty Dog's video game The Last of Us. Since then, Pedro Pascal has been cast as Joel, and Bella Ramsey as Ellie, with the slightest of a glimpse at the show since, in brief teasers and posters. Now, HBO has released a full teaser trailer for The Last of Us series adaptation, with about a minute of new content. Previously, we've heard from Craig Mazin, the producer of the show, who claimed that this adaptation will fill certain events from the game out, and will serve "not to undo, but to enhance" the story and characters from The Last of Us. For now, there's no exact release for the series, other than 2023.

 

[Kotomine Kirei]

That's no point at all. Fans of the games will know who the characters are - no identifying required.
Anyone that's going to get butthurt by the cast not looking identical to the original property is probably not the demographic that's being targeted. If you care more about the cast looking identical than a good adaptation being made then you should just stick to the videogame... People need to have faith that the actors being cast are the best choices for what the roles call for... And it's not like these castings are dramatically different than the characters they're based on - unlike the majority of Netflix adaptations we're seeing where they're forcing diversity and gender swapping characters for no reason other than SJW points.

Watching the old Resident Evil movies, I had no idea who anyone was until they said their names, and even then, I would get confused seeing them later on.
Though, it did not help that the story was different.
Even so, saying that people should stick to the video game is ridiculous.
That is like telling someone to stick to a book or manga even though they would like to see a faithful movie or TV adaptation.

As for making the best choices for the roles, I have seen video game movies and series (and adaptations of other mediums) where the actors did not look or act like the characters, and they still did not act well enough that it would make up for that.

Regarding the casting in this adaptation, I agree, it could be worse, and really, I would say that the story is more important.
As long as the characters are not very different in looks or personality, and the story is done well, it should be a good adaptation.

 

[pustal]

I have seen a lot of actors that are close enough to be passable for certain video game characters, and some of the characters even seem like they were designed to look like some people, but they almost always end up finding people who look nothing like them (probably for cost reasons, but even so, they could have found closer-looking actors).

Some actors and characters that look similar:
Nathan Fillion and Nathan Drake
Karl Urban and Commander Shepard
Ron Perlman and Admiral Hood
Keith David, Carl Weathers and Sergeant Johnson
Gerard Butler and Geralt of Rivia
Vin Diesel and Shadow Man




The point of having actors similar to the characters is to make it so that fans of the games can more easily identify characters, so that the characters look right, and so that the roles are proper.
Just imagine if Peter Parker was played by Dwayne Johnson, if Clark Kent was played by Dave Bautista, or if Blade was played by Adam Sandler.
...They could probably do okay, but it would be really weird to see them acting as those characters.
My point though is that characters are often more than just their personalities, and when you look at an actor, they usually have certain qualities that do not always mesh with an established role.

If you fan of the games you'll know who actors are. If your not, doesn't matter.

Dwayne Johnson wouldn't portray what Peter Parker should represent, he was never a buff guy or a jock, even if he could act the part. Any of the Peter Parker actors work however because they represent what a Peter Parker should represent even though they play different artistical interpretations of the character. And none of them have a similar face. You couldn't have picked a better example.

 

[Marc_LFD]

I have seen a lot of actors that are close enough to be passable for certain video game characters, and some of the characters even seem like they were designed to look like some people, but they almost always end up finding people who look nothing like them (probably for cost reasons, but even so, they could have found closer-looking actors).

Some actors and characters that look similar:
Nathan Fillion and Nathan Drake
Karl Urban and Commander Shepard
Ron Perlman and Admiral Hood
Keith David, Carl Weathers and Sergeant Johnson
Gerard Butler and Geralt of Rivia
Vin Diesel and Shadow Man

Sony's decisions for the Uncharted movie were really bad. It felt like I was watching a shitty fan-fic.

But the final 40mins were at least decent.

 

[ut2k4master]

Hopefully just three or four seasons.

I've been watching Cobra Kai and a final sixth season is what it needs. Otherwise, they'll ruin the show and its reputation.

looks like the first season is already all of the first game + the dlc

 

[MetoMeto]

I kinda dont like movie adaptations of games...

 

[urbanman2004]

Sony and production team: please, just don't fvck it up.

 

[duwen]

Even so, saying that people should stick to the video game is ridiculous.

You're ignoring how I prefaced that statement. I didn't say everyone should stick to the game, I said "if you care more about the cast looking identical than a good adaptation being made then you should just stick to the videogame".
...which actually makes your counter point about people wanting to see a good adaptation an agreement with my statement.

 

[ds34]

huh, why didn't they cast Troy Baker for the role Joel?

 

[duwen]

huh, why didn't they cast Troy Baker for the role Joel?

Because voice actors and mocap artists generally aren't good enough to carry a major series... although IMDB interestingly has him listed as being in a couple of the episodes.