This Casting Breakdown will contain heavy spoilers. Do yourself a favor and don't ruin this game for yourself if you have not completed it. This is your spoiler alert.
Alright, so if you couldn't figure out, I am in love with The Last of Us. It's the best video game of all time. Hands down.
I wrote an entire breakdown on Tuesday about how not to screw up the film adaptation for this movie, so if you're interested, feel free to check that out. I over analyze everything about video game adaptations and how to make this movie as perfect as can be.
Before I start off my casting wish-list, I want to discuss something that I left out in my Last of Us "How To Make the Movie" discussion. I left out the beautiful score. In the game, the soundtrack is so serene. It fits perfectly. The score that it reminded me of was Trent Reznor's Social Network. Then that got me thinking directors and David Fincher. Fincher would be a great fit for this film. Everything the guy does is perfect. From what I know, Fincher is unbelievably busy with future projects as well as Season 2 of the fantastic Netflix series "House of Cards", so it's unlikely he would have the availability for this project.
I said that I was going to review this game sometime this week...well...this is going to serve as my review of the game. I think it is the only way to talk about it. You can't talk about how good this game is and not go spoiler heavy. Every review I've read, listened to, or watched just isn't very good. But it's not the fault of the reviewer at all; I don't blame them. It's really hard to talk about everything that's good about this game and not talk about everything that happens in it and the gameplay. So, you'll easily be able to tell how I feel about this game in better detail through this breakdown.
Also, as I alluded to in my "How To..." discussion, I did indeed begin adapting a screenplay. I told you that wasn't a joke. I knew I'd do it, too. I've got a few of the scenes done. It's a long way away from completion and this is going to take some time. I doubt it gets any mileage, but it's something I care about and enjoy doing so fuck it, I'm going to keep working on it. If you're interested in reading it, just let me know. I want to release a few scenes to see what the reaction is. There are a few scenes that I'm changing and adding, as well as shifting some of the plot little bit. I know that it's risky to slightly stray away from the game, but I think the Last of Us does such a good job with its plot that it allows for creative input. It's also not that big of a plot shift or change. There are just certain things that would be done differently in order for a film version to be made. Anyways, I'm really straying away from the point here....
Lets get to some wish listing. Now, I was going to break this up into two parts and release them at different times, but I decided fuck it. If I'm doing this I'm going all out. I'm going to do this in order of supporting characters all the way to Ellie and Joel. For the supporting characters, I'm probably only going to dish out 1 or 2 suggestions, but for Ellie and especially Joel, there will definitely be many more options. So lets get started with one of the key supporting characters:
Marlene
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| Marlene in 'The Last of Us' |
Analysis: Marlene is an interesting supporting character. It's unclear whether you're supposed to like Marlene or not. The way I took it was she became obsessed with trying to find a vaccine. In fact, all the Fireflies did. I think that she had her heart in the right place. Although she is not infected, I believe the game intended for you to think that she was infected in a metaphorical sense. Let me explain. Ellie and Sam discuss whether the infected people still can feel alive, only, they can't control what they do. Going off of that belief, I think in a weird way that's what happened to Marlene. She became so infected with this obsession over finding a cure that she was willing to kill Ellie for a chance at a vaccine. Quick point on this: Ellie's immunity did not guarantee a cure or a vaccine. As you find out through listening to the audio tapes left behind, they've found other immune people on the earth, and have completed failed research on those people. A lot of people who played the game missed that for some reason. Joel evaluated that risking Ellie's life for the uncertainty of a vaccine wasn't worth it (as well as the fact that he loves Ellie as a daughter). I think Marlene has her heart in the right spot. She is the mother figure for Ellie in a lot of ways, and took it upon herself to raise her and look after her. However, she is a full on contrast to Joel, the father figure. She wants to kill Ellie for the vaccine and Joel wants to protect her from that. Marlene is barely in the game, but she is a huge character when analyzing the outcome, as well as what can happen to a non-infected human being in a post-apocalyptic world.
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| Paula Patton |
Casting Breakdown: The casting for her is tough. I think that if a movie does get made, the actress who plays her will generally be an unknown actress since she's barely in the story at all. She did remind me of a Michelle Rodriguez-type of actress. I don't believe Rodriguez is the right choice whatsoever. People have also been talking about Zoe Saldana. I just am not a big Saldana fan. I think that Paula Patton would be a great choice. Marlene is African-American, so the skin tone obviously can't change. That'd bother and confuse fans if they made her white. Other than Paula Patton, I can't really think of anybody who could play her. Like I said, it would be more likely and probably better for the film if they go with a relatively unknown actress. But since this is a casting wishlist, well there ya go. Paula Patton.
My Take: Paula Patton as Marlene
Tess
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| Tess is a crucial supporting character |
Analysis: Tess is another character who is only in the game for a few portions, but carries a huge impact on Joel and Ellie. Discussing this game with a friend of mine, we realized that without Tess, the entire mission of bringing Ellie across the country to Fireflies probably wouldn't have even happened.
Joel had his doubts about Ellie's immunity, and it took Tess to believe in her to get Joel believing in her, too. It's unclear whether there was any romantic history with Tess and Joel, but I would say there wasn't. I think that they were just business partners and they definitely know the risks of carrying a romantic relationship in a post-apocalyptic world. It's also unclear how long they actually worked together, but it can be assumed that it was at least a few years. Tess is a badass. She definitely knows how to get what she wants and knows how to use her power to her advantage. I think something that goes unnoticed is the parallel between Tess and Ellie. Obviously Ellie is much, much younger, but Ellie isn't afraid of much. She's very mature for being just a 14 year old. Ellie is a badass and eventually learns how to get what she wants and is confident in her surviving ability. I think Joel began seeing a few similarities between the two, whether the game made that clear or not. I think that played a small part in Joel beginning to open up to Ellie and having their relationship develop. When Tess's fate arrives, her goodbye to Joel made it pretty clear that there was not any romantic history with the two, yet they love each other as companions.
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| Cobie Smulders in 'The Avengers' |
Casting: Much like Marlene, I think Tess will eventually be played by an unknown actress. She's barely in the game and story, but her character hugely impacts Joel. I think that depending on how the screenplay and film develops, they could get creative and maybe keep her in the film for a little longer. But in order to avoid making the premise too long (since it is Tess's death and reveal that she's been bitten that catalyzes the mission to smuggle Ellie), Tess's screen time could be cut pretty short. I'm going to go with a pretty risky name, and go with Cobie Smulders. I think she proved she can be an action actress in the Avengers, and as she's proven many times in How I Met Your Mother, she certainly is a badass. I do worry that maybe her acting capability hinders the performance and emotion, yet I think she could be good. I think an actress like a Jodie Foster or a Jennifer Connelly could work, too. I just think that in order to get those caliber of actresses, the role can't be a 10 minute long cameo.
My Take: Cobie Smulders as Tess
Bill
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| Bill plays a small supporting role |
Analysis: Bill is one of the most interesting characters in the game. He truly and certainly believes that living on your own is the only way to survive in this type of world. He used to have a partner, but it's unclear what went down between the two of them. In a cutscene, Bill says that he used to have someone he had to take care of and look after but he "wisened the fuck up" and that it's "gotta be just me". He doesn't like that Joel is taking care of Ellie and risking all of their lives just for a human being. Bill has some sort of past history with Joel and Tess that's unclear, but obviously they know each other. The important thing here is that Bill has his own thing going on, and he doesn't like that Joel is changing it up.
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| Hoffman in 'The Ides of March' |
Casting: In my "How To..." write-up, I wrote that Bill is more than likely going to get cut out of the movie. I feel like his presence is unnecessary for the movie plot. I think that they should shoot the entire movie with all of the characters, and maybe include Bill on an extended edition or something. I just think that the movie will be much, much better off not having Bill in it at all. With that said though, I did think of an actor who would be fantastic as Bill. Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Hoffman is one of my favorite actors in the game right now. I think that for Bill, Hoffman's portrayal in The Ides of March and Almost Famous would be great foundations for his character. But like I said, if the studio was smart, they'd cut Bill out of the movie for the betterment of the final product. Another actor who looks like Bill that could be an interesting cast-Nick Frost.
My Take: Leave him out entirely. But if he has to be in the film: Hoffman
Henry and Sam
Analysis: These are two of the most interesting characters in the game in the sense that they seem like some of the only humans that have good intentions and mean well. They're just surviving. They have a brother dynamic that is key to their survival and they parallel Joel and Ellie (how they will do anything to protect each other and survive). I really like Henry's character. I think something that can be further developed is how Sam is terrified of the world they live in. Something that doesn't even get brought up, is that Sam seems annoyed that Henry doesn't think he is capable of much. There's a scene between Ellie and Sam, where Sam asks Ellie if Henry sent her to see if Sam was "fucking up somehow". I think that's important. I think Sam wants to be responsible for more things and is capable of doing more things, it's just that Henry doesn't want to risk his life.
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| Henry in 'The Last of Us' |
The relationship between Henry and Joel is an interesting dynamic as well because Joel actually opens up to Henry a little. Until this point, Joel was incredibly reserved around everybody he knew. It says a lot about Henry and that he has his heart in the right spot. Henry and Sam are easily the most likeable characters you encounter in the game (other than Tommy). When Henry leaves Joel and Ellie behind for his own safety, only to end up coming back to save them, it asks an interesting question. Would Joel have done the same thing for them? And the answer is no. He wouldn't. I think they would have left Henry and Sam, and they wouldn't have saved them either. Based on Joel's character throughout the game (at this point), he never stops to help people and is very quick to leave people behind. It redeems Henry and Sam.
The relationship between Ellie and Sam is interesting, too. People think Ellie and Sam start to develop teen crushes on each other, but honestly it's mostly just the fact that their ages are similar. Think about the world they live in. It's survival of the fittest. It's mostly all experienced mature adults and the fact that there are two teenagers within the same age range allows for Ellie and Sam to open up to each other and enjoy each other's presence. It allows them to act as children again. In order to survive in this world, they have to act much older than they do. With Sam around, Ellie doesn't have to pretend to be older than her age, and there is a genuine happiness to her when she's with Sam. When I said that Sam is capable of doing more, but Henry doesn't want to risk his life-I think Ellie feels that way too (at this point in the game). Joel doesn't let Ellie do very much, and he doesn't let her carry a gun. I think that Ellie understands how Sam feels, and she relates to him on a larger level than what's presented.
Their time in the game is cut short due to the tragic events of Sam turning infected and Henry shooting himself. Another thing that is interesting about that scene is that Joel legitimately is concerned and worried about Henry when Sam dies. His face is concerned and it's unlike anything Joel usually expresses. Henry and Sam most definitely need to be in the film adaptation, due to their impact on Joel and Ellie.
Casting:
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| Actor Michael B. Jordan |
I have two great suggestions for Henry that I think would work tremendously. One of them I mentioned in the write-up was Michael B. Jordan. He's my top choice for Henry. I think he is really starting to make a name for himself, and if you're doubting his acting ability,
here's a trailer for a movie coming out this year that people are saying is Oscar worthy. This guy is on the rise for actors. It would not surprise me to see him start getting larger roles. Like this one. I feel like that's where I should stop my casting suggestions, but I'm going to throw out another name. Jesse Williams. I like Williams, I think he's a good actor, too. I think Jordan is a much better option than Jesse Williams but I do think that Williams has what it takes for this kind of role.
For Sam, I have a few names. Most of them are controversial. As I have said many of times, I think this movie could thrive off of unknown actors and actresses in supporting roles. This is definitely the case for Sam. I think you have to look at Jaden Smith. I know that's a stupid choice. I just think that Sam needs to be likeable, and Will Smith's kid is definitely likeable. People have been throwing around Bobb'e J Thompson's name and I guess I'll go along with that endorsement. Now, here's easily my most controversial suggestion: Quvenzhané Wallis. I know, that's a female. But I think if they can't find the right actor for Sam, why not change the character? I think that ultimately the character needs to stay as close to the video game representation as possible because fans will riot if they change it completely. I think that the movie could benefit from having a brother/sister dynamic rather than a brother/brother. It's risky, I know. It seems unneccesary, too. While that might be right, I do truly believe that if they aren't getting the right casting for Sam, they should look at changing over the character. I think it's a big change, but it's not big enough to ruin the movie. And Michael B. Jordan playing Q. Wallis's older brother? That sounds intriguing to me. I'll probably get plenty of hate for it but who cares. This movie probably isn't even happening.
My Take: Michael B. Jordan as Henry, Unknown Actor as Sam (it's a cop out, I know. But did any of those names I listed jump off the page to you? I hope not...)
Tommy
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| Tommy was fantastic as Joel's brother |
Analysis: At first it's unclear whether Tommy is Joel's older or younger brother. He carries the dynamic of an older brother, but it's actually Joel's younger brother. I love Tommy. Tommy was my favorite character in the whole game besides Ellie/Joel. He's incredible. He was a former Firefly that figured out his own way and has found a nice living situation. They live in a very peaceful area in Wyoming, and if it were me, I would've just stayed with Tommy the rest of my life. There is an unknown backstory between Joel and Tommy that I wish was explained in the game better. While discussing what they should do with Ellie, Tommy says that surviving with Joel were the "worst years" of his life and that "it wasn't worth" it. Meaning, he'd rather have died than have the nightmares of the years they spent surviving together. I honestly don't even know where to start speculating on what this could mean. It is never clear, but Joel also alludes to Tommy saying that the last time they saw each other, he said "I never want to see your goddamn face again". There were serious altercations in the past between these two, but they definitely seem to have gotten over it. Which is good. It keeps Tommy likeable.
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| Cooper can look the part and play the part |
Casting: Right after I got done writing my "How To..." on Tuesday and saying that I have no idea who could play Tommy, I literally thought of about 8 or so actors who'd fit pretty well. So here we go. I'm going to list these off in reverse order, so that we end with the actor that I want to play Tommy the most. So here we go...First up is Matthew McConaughey. I know, I know. He seems like an odd choice. But look at what he's done recently. He's really starting to become one of the better actors out there right now. He has 3 movies this year that are all in discussions to make him nominated in an acting category (Dallas Buyer's Club, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Mud). He's really became a great actor, and I think with his hair and his voice, he fits Tommy pretty well. Next up is Tom Hardy. He doesn't exactly look the part right now,
but in this picture of him, it definitely shows he potentially could look the part. Hardy is one of the best actors in the game right now. Everything this guy does great. He could play the little brother with the chip on his shoulder (as he did in Warrior). He could very easily be one of the best supporting characters in this movie. Then we have Sam Rockwell. Another guy who doesn't look like Tommy,
but definitely is capable of looking the part. Rockwell is the most underrated actor in Hollywood. He can do anything. He can be loveable, he can be the dopy friend, he can be evil. He can honestly do anything. He's a great actor, and would make a fantastic Tommy. I had a few other names in mind that weren't really great suggestions, but my top three goes 3) Guy Pearce 2) Brad Pitt 1) Bradley Cooper. I don't see Pitt ever doing a supporting role like this. He has to be the lead guy. But after seeing what he did in World War Z, and having the long hair like Tommy does, he potentially would be great. I put Bradley Cooper number 1 because he essentially is a better Matthew McConaughey right now. He's done some stupid roles in the past, but he's really starting to cement himself as a great dramatic actor. I think with is long hair he'd look just like Tommy, and I think that dramatically, he's the best option for Tommy.
My Take: Bradley Cooper as Tommy
David
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| David plays a menacing villain |
Analysis: David is an extremely riveting, complex character. At first when I played the game, I thought
he was going to be this nice good guy that was going to help Ellie out until Joel was healthy again. But man was I wrong. I was really, really wrong. He's the ultimate villain in this game. He turns into a psychotic man that really tests Ellie's emotional and mental stability. I think that David had a good heart initially. I think deep down he did want Ellie to become a part of his clan. She certainly was deserving of it; she took down almost his entire squad. When Ellie turns down David's offer to join the team, that's where David switches into this evil-psychotic character in The Last of Us. Leading up to David's demise, he was planning on raping Ellie and one of the members of his clan referred to Ellie as "David's newest pet". Creepy. Quick shout out to Nolan North for voicing this character and playing such a convincing villain that honestly had me more terrified than the infected. With the infected, you just have a physical challenge and they run after you, but there isn't much of a threat most times. David is a huge mental challenge, and that's why he's a perfect villain, and a perfect villian for Ellie specifically. An important thing to remember too: this is a kill or be killed world. David is looking out for what's best for him as well as his members of his clan. My favorite David moment: when he's hiding out with Ellie and he says that quip about "a crazy man and a little girl". It's so intense. And you're like "HOLY SHIT! THAT'S JOEL AND ELLIE! RUN ELLIE!".
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| Ben Mendelsohn |
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| Gary Oldman |
Casting: These are easily my two most exciting cast choices. I think that the Winter portion of the game is where the bulk of the 2nd half of the movie should be, and that means that David will have a large role. Which he should; he essentially is the main individual villain of the game (I mean, you have the infected obviously, but that's a group thing as well as the fact they've been surviving from these things for years. They've gotten the hang of it by now). Lets get to the casting. My first choice would be Gary Oldman. He can play a terrifying villain. He fits the role fantastically. I think he would perfect the "kind-of-nice-until-I-turn-into-a-huge-psychopath" role. Something interesting about Oldman: I could see him playing any of the male characters in this game. I could see him as Joel. I could see him as Tommy. I could see him as Robert (who probably will get cut from the film as well). I could see him as David. I could even see him as Bill. What I'm getting at is that Oldman needs to be in this movie. He just needs to. The other option is Ben Mendelsohn. I really like what he did in Place Beyond the Pines, and I think he's a fantastic actor. He really knows how to be a villain, in my opinion, and I would love for either one of these guys to be cast as David.
My Take: Tie between Gary Oldman and Ben Mendelsohn as David
Ellie
Analysis: Man oh man, where do I even begin? First off, I'm almost guaranteed to leave something out when writing this up. There are so many different elements to Ellie that it cannot be fully discussed in writing. I could talk about Ellie's character complexity for hours. I'm going to start off by saying something that as far as I know, almost no one has realized yet. In the game, there is absolutely NO mention of a father for Ellie. There is a brief mention of her mother, and there's Marlene who kind of served as her mother. It may not have been intentional (I think it was), but it's important when discussing her relationship with Joel. At the end when she's talking about the people she's lost she listed off Riley (her childhood friend), Tess, and Sam. She doesn't mention her mother, Marlene, or a father. I think that is very important. She's never had a father that was there for her.
Ellie seems very held together and confident, yet it's almost an irrational confidence. She proves to be pretty vulnerable emotionally in many of the cutscenes. People are saying that Joel is very reserved, but it's actually Ellie who is far more reserved than Joel. You don't find out about her friend Riley until the very last scene in the game. She reveals she's lost some people, and had to overcome a lot in her past, but the specifics aren't really mentioned. Easily the most emotional and impactful cutscene in the entire game is when Ellie steals the horse from Tommy's and runs away to an abandoned cabin. She reveals Maria shared some information about Joel and his past. She then gets very upset that Joel wants to abandon her, and says that "everyone has either died or left [her]. Everyone-fucking except for you!". "You" is referring to Joel. I think that was the turning point for Joel. I think at that moment he awoke and realized what he means to this girl. She then continues on to say "so don't tell me that I'd be better off with someone else, when I'd really just be more scared". The most important part is that people keep leaving her with other people, like she's some burden who doesn't carry any emotional impact on people. She herself has to deal with this survivor's guilt that she never turned, and it really has started to impact her. More on Ellie's fear of being left alone: when Ellie and Sam are discussing why Ellie doesn't seem phased by all the madness in the Earth, Ellie reveals that her biggest fear is being left alone and being by herself.
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| Ellie can hold her own in 'The Last of Us' |
In the "Winter" season (where the plot really starts to get intense, and was personally my favorite portion of the game), Ellie is forced to be alone for a good portion of it, due to Joel's health. She has to fight to keep Joel alive and fight David and his team of cannibals. She's completely alone while doing this. She's conquering her fear in order to keep Joel alive and fight for her life. David proposes to Ellie that she can be apart of their team. I think this is a key moment-Ellie loves and cares more about Joel than she fears ending up alone. She keeps her loyalty to Joel and essentially tells David to fuck off. This is a great example of her irrational confidence. She's locked up in a jail, talking shit to David. I loved everything about it. Easily the coolest part of the game is when you kill David with Ellie, and it goes to a cutscene of Ellie just stabbing the shit out of David. Joel comes to her and gives her a hug, and the scene goes from the most badass epic scene in the game, to arguably the most emotional moment in the game. It completes the bridge between Joel and Ellie. Joel hugs Ellie, and calls her "baby girl", which as many people have pointed out, is what he called his daughter Sarah at the beginning of the game. Now something interesting happens here. Some people have called it a glitch-it's clearly not. The mouths of Joel and Ellie keep moving, but the captions turn off and the only thing you can hear is the soundtrack. Ellie is clearly disturbed, and Joel is treating her just like he would treat his daughter. The thing that really matters isn't what they are saying to each other, but it's that Joel has officially accepted Ellie as his daughter, and he never will let anything happen to her. He was worried about her.
When it's spring, she's acting different. You can tell that Ellie has changed. Everything that went down with David is impacting her. She's starting to be more afraid of what's out there. Not only that, she's constantly afraid of being alone. I think also she's starting to realize that maybe she will die in the hospital in order to get a vaccine. Not only does she want Joel in her life, she needs him. The part with the giraffes was one of the coolest moments in the game. It was such a heart warming moment. For the whole game, both Joel and Ellie were carrying such emotional baggage that they never really had the time to be happy. I think it was perfect. They realized that there still is beauty left on the planet that has begun to dissolve and change into this terrifying post-apocalyptic land. But I think it meant a lot to Ellie, and it really meant a lot to Joel. I think if that happened earlier in the game, he wouldn't, even for a second, have stopped to enjoy the giraffes. Touching moment.
Last point before moving on: the end. Ellie stops Joel and asks him if he lied to her about the Fireflies giving up on finding a cure and that they decided not to operate on Ellie. Ellie says "swear to me that everything you say about the fireflies is true". And Joel does. What's important here isn't that Joel is lying, but the fact that Ellie knows he's lying. She's been able to call out Joel on his bullshit and read him very well throughout the game. Why now would she not be able to read Joel? He isn't exactly selling it very well either. Her biggest fear, again is being left alone. I think it was made very clear that after Ellie ran away, she never wants Joel to abandon her. I think Ellie realizes that Joel cares a lot about her. He's lying to protect her. And that makes Ellie feel safe. More on this discussion will occur during Joel's write up. But lets move on to casting, or else I'm just going to babel on for hours of writing about Ellie.
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| Chloe Moretz is the best bet for 'Ellie' |
Casting: This is one of the most difficult casting suggestions out there. To find a very young actress that will succeed in this role as Ellie will be nearly impossible. The video game character is so fantastic that the live action performer can only match what Ashley Johnson did for Ellie in the game. There's no beating that. At least I don't think so. If some young actress out there can do it, I'd love to see it. I honestly have no clue about this casting selection. The one that I think could work alright is Elle Fanning. I thought she was great in Super 8, and she clearly comes from a pretty talented family. It just worries me that she hasn't really been in much since Super 8, and I don't think she's capable (right now, at least) of taking on a character of this magnitude. Someone who I think is capable, and someone who I think should be seriously looked at is Chloe Moretz. Honestly, I thought her first movie was Kick-Ass. And she was fantastic in that movie. After looking her up, she's been in the business since she was 8! That's incredible for a child actress these days to stick around and really evolve. Most of these young actresses kind of disappear. Two things on Moretz before a few other suggestions: She can look a lot like Ellie.
I don't know where this picture is from or how old it is, but it certainly looks quite a bit like Ellie. Also, since voices really matter in video games, if the voice is WAY different than the character, it can really take you out of a movie. Luckily,
Chloe Moretz actually sounds almost exactly like Ellie and reminds me a lot of her. I was amazed by it. Anyway, some other suggestions are Hailee Steinfeld from True Grit and then of course, my girl, Abigal Breslin. I think Abigal Breslin is even behind Elle Fanning in my opinion for casting. I love Breslin, but I don't think she'd be right for this role. Of course, there's always the option of an unknown actress. The problem with that is the risk you take. Ellie is the make or break character. If the people don't like Ellie, the movie will suck. No matter what. Joel could be fantastic, the effects could be great. Everything could be great. But if Ellie sucks, the movie sucks. And honestly, the game is like that, too. Honestly, if the film were to start shooting tomorrow, it'd be a toss up between Steinfeld and Moretz. I just think Moretz would own the role, and have that gritty, vulgar, over-confidence to her. She has a ton of range, and I think this girl is the next big thing. I really do.
My Pick: Chloe Moretz as Ellie
Joel
Analysis:
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| Joel is a damaged character with a haunting past |
Ah, the big one. I think that Joel is such a fantastic character. Honestly, Ellie is so great and she does everything she needs to do so well and Ashley Johnson is getting a ton of praise for her work in providing motion capture for Ellie, but Joel. Man...he is one damaged character. But he's also a giant badass. He's like Woody Harrelson in Zombieland meets Liam Neeson from Taken (the first one. I've already put the 2nd one completely out of my head. Dragged that shit to the trash icon in my brain) meets Denzel Washington from Man on Fire and also a tad bit of John Q. I'm going to pause and just let you soak all that in...
...and were back! Okay so if you couldn't tell Joel is a fucking badass. Joel is justifiably forced to the side when talking about the Last of Us because ultimately, the Last of Us turns into Ellie's game. She owns it. But I'm going to give credit where credit is due. Joel has dealt with so much from the past. All of a sudden, the only thing he cares about in life (his daughter) is taken away from him. It's the perfect build up to a game because it lets you in on the horror of Joel's past. It's what makes him keep himself detached from other people and what he eventually turns into. I think it says a lot about his character that he made it 20 years past his daughters death. That takes a lot of mental toughness, as well as the physical toughness that is required to survive. Very early on, you can tell he doesn't open up to anybody. Even Tess. He's all business and no play. Ellie tries to talk to him about Tess's death and Joel immediately shuts her up. He doesn't want to talk about Tess, or his daughter. To anybody. He tries to move on. Ultimately, Joel is on the run from his past. He's on the run from Sarah's death and also the backstory with Tommy that is unknown. He shuts off all connection to the people that he's known and he's started a new life. At least as far as we know.
Joel never thanks people, and he doesn't exactly mourn people either. It's not because he has a hard time appreciating things, or dealing with loss. It's because he doesn't want to show emotion. He doesn't want to start getting attached to somebody. When Tess dies, he's barely even affected by it. I think there's a lot that goes into that, like the fact that she was going to turn infected regardless. But man, he really holds strong. That's what makes his dynamic with Ellie so impressive. Ellie saves Joel's life multiple times in this game, and he never really thanks her or repays her. It's not that he doesn't want to, and I think, too, that Ellie knows he truly is thankful. He just doesn't know how to express that. Once the game starts developing and he cares more for Ellie, he starts to appreciate her more and show her much more love.
The scene in the abandoned cabin that I discussed earlier really hits Joel hard. I think that he realized not only what he meant to Ellie, but what Ellie means to him. He is so worried about business and doing what's right. He wants to dump Ellie off with Tommy, but Ellie tries to tell him that she doesn't want to go with Tommy. She doesn't know Tommy. Tommy didn't cross the whole country with her like Joel did. I think that it's very important that Joel actually says the following line: "You're right. You're not my daughter. And I'm certainly not your father". The emotion behind him when he says that is more than the lines he speaks. He's mad that Ellie brought up his past. He's trying to deny that aspect of Ellie's relationship with him. He's starting to realize that he's not the only person that has dealt with horrors in his life. I love that he ends up taking Ellie on the journey himself because it shows that he's accepted Ellie as his own, and he would protect her over anything.
Quick point that has nothing to do with his analysis: I knew Joel wasn't going to die when he was impaled at the University of Eastern Colorado (which, I believe is supposed to be the Colorado State University campus. I have no proof of that, I'm just from Colorado. And that sure as hell looks a lot like CSU. The "Big Horns" were the mascot (Rams are CSU) and the colors were Green and Gold. I'm convinced it was supposed to be CSU. It might just be a coincidence though). I knew he wasn't going to die because of the emotional impact that the entire game had up to that point. They cut away from Joel falling off the horse, and then it was the Winter season. Why wouldn't they have a huge emotional Ellie moment. Well, because he didn't die. That's why.
Now that that's been over-analyzed, it's time for the big impactful Joel moments. The first is when he saves Ellie from David (kind of, he was already dead). He comes in and acts like a real father would to Ellie. He grabs her and hugs her and gives her so much affection and reassurance that it's going to be okay. As I brought up earlier, he calls her "baby girl", officially making Ellie a daughter to Joel. He wasn't going to let anything happen to her.
The end now. He saves Ellie from drowning, he saves her from her death, and then lies to her to protect her. Honestly, I can't stand the people who hate the ending to this game. It was fucking perfect. He lies to her to protect her. He loves her. You think losing 2 daughters would be easy? No, especially if you had the opportunity to do something about it. He wasn't going to willingly lose his second daughter. After everything he went through to save this girl and everything they went through together and building their relationship. It wasn't about finding the cure, it was about Joel moving on. It was about Joel finding his new family. He starts opening up to Ellie. Ellie hands him a picture of him and his daughter, the same one Tommy tried to give him earlier. Only this time he takes it. He says "you can't always run away from the past". He's accepted his past. He's moved on. He has Ellie now. He's happy. He has a new love. And lying to Ellie reassures her that he was never going to let anything happen to her. He wasn't going to let her die, he wasn't going to let her out of his sight, and he wasn't going to let anybody try to rape her.
He wasn't going to let her be alone. As stated earlier in the game, Ellie has her doubts about heaven (she discusses this with Sam). If she died, I don't believe she would've went to heaven to rejoin her mother and her best friend, Riley. She would've ended up a lonely soul. He is the perfect video game character. He has this girl that he cares so much about. Nothing is going to stop Joel from being with her. (I know that entire paragraph was pretty poorly written grammatically. I chose to keep it that way because it's genuine. It's how I feel about Joel and Ellie and the ending.)
(
For a really cool, fun read about how the ending was crafted and differences in production, click here)
If you didn't cry during this game, I don't know what to say to you. I played this game with a good friend of mine because I don't have a PS3 and we played through it together. The first 15 minutes, both of us were crying. The cabin scene with Ellie, waterfalls. The entire last 15 minutes of the game, yep. Crying for sure. There are only a few movies that I've cried harder at than this. It's so moving. And honestly, that's my biggest reason for endorsing this movie idea so hard. I just want people who didn't play the game and didn't feel what all of us fans felt, to feel something like this. To get attached to these characters. To love Ellie as we do and as Joel does. It's such a good story that everyone needs to have told to them. Alright. Lets get to the casting
Casting: I have so many different names for Joel. I'm glad that I really let this sink so that I could think of other actors to play Joel. On Tuesday, the best idea I came up with was Joel Edgerton, and I didn't really have any other names either. Edgerton is great but I have much better options today. Here's the thing, too: there are so many great older actors out there right now. There could be at least 50 actors that you could convince me to play Joel. But anyway, lets get to my picks. Reverse order as always. Here we go. First off. Woody Harrelson. He doesn't look anything like Joel, but I think that he could be great. The world is always ready for more Woody Harrelson. Another guy that I mentioned briefly in my post on Monday is Russell Crowe. Crowe always plays a great action star. He wasn't my problem with the recent Robin Hood film, he was fantastic. He always is. He's got that great beard. He'd be great.
These are 2 guys that are probably going to bring the same thing to the role: Matthew Fox and Ben Affleck. I mentioned that if Ben Affleck were to direct the film, he tends to cast himself in his movies these days. Which, so far, hasn't been a bad thing. I put Matthew Fox on here because I've been watching Lost a lot recently and I just think he's pretty underrated. I could see him playing Joel, too. Another guy that fits kind of into this category, but I think could be good as Joel (as well as Tommy or David, for that matter...) is Jason Clarke. This dude was menacing in Zero Dark Thirty. I thought he deserved a Best Supporting Actor nomination. He was my favorite part of that movie. I think he looks the part, and clearly is capable of playing the part. I'm going to throw Joel Edgerton into this tier of actors, but more towards the next group. I think that he's the most talented (actingwise) of this bunch. He looks a lot like Joel and I love the way he portrayed Brendan in Warrior.
EDIT: I just was shown a picture of Chris Evans in the upcoming film "Snowpiercer". And I know this sounds crazy. Chris Evans. Joel.
But look at this picture of Chris Evans in the film's poster. Whoa. Certainly he isn't capable of playing Joel's character. But wow he looks very much like Joel. His acting and age immediately removes him from this conversation but man. That's generally what Joel would look like.
Now we're starting to get into more of the heavy hitters. This next guy is a guy that kind of played this role already, and that's George
Clooney. This is going to sound weird at first, but his character in Up
in the Air is actually a very accurate representation of what Joel is in
this game. He gets this girl (Anna Kendrick) that he doesn't want,
journeying around the country with him. He has to teach her a lot. He's
very to himself. He doesn't like opening up to Anna Kendrick. I just
think there's a lot of comparisons. And Clooney is awesome. He inspired
my "Clooney-Zone" styled ranking system for actors (if you're unfamiliar, it's a
ranking of the current actors in hollywood based off of how badly women
want to sleep with him, combined with how badly guys want to be him, and
combined with his respect around the industry). These next two guys remind me a lot of each other. They look a lot a like, and I think both could be fantastic and that's Jeff Bridges and Kurt Russell. I think that Bridges is always fantastic, as is Russell. Russell's portrayal as Coach Herb Brooks in Miracle to this day is my all-time most underrated acting performance. That dude deserved some sort of nomination. He was unreal. Jeff Bridges is Jeff Bridges. I mean what else do you want me to say.
And this leads me to my ultimate casting choice. Bryan Cranston. I think he perfectly fits the mold for what Joel is. I love Cranston. I think he's fantastic. Honestly, I'd take Cranston for Joel over everybody else I just listed. It just fits. Sometimes, it just fits. I can't say anything else about it.
Seriously, look at this picture. That's fucking Joel in real life. He obviously is badass enough from his Breaking Bad days. Cranston would be fantastic.
My Take: Bryan Cranston (but lets be real, everyone I listed and even more would be unbelievable and would more than live up to Joel's character)
Well, that's it. That's all there is. I'm almost 100% certain that there is something I forgot to add in these analyses, particularly with Joel and Ellie. There's just so much to talk about. I mean, I've studied this game as close as anybody has since its release, so I'm sure there's something I'm forgetting. Anyway, this game is a perfect 10 out of 10. If somehow you made it through this far and haven't played the game, I'd still recommend playing it. It certainly will be less impactful, since, well I told you everything that happens in explicit detail. But I think this is a game everybody deserves to experience. It's my favorite video game of all time. I don't think there ever will be anything that beats it. I hope I'm wrong because The Last of Us raised the video gaming bar about 50 levels higher than where it was before this game came out. Thank you so much for reading. If you stuck it out and made it this far, please feel free to let me know who you think should play these characters. Also, if you want me to start releasing some of my scenes from the adaptation I'm doing, please let me know so I can get a public opinion on it.
You can follow Will Harmon at @willharmon8 on Twitter
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