Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us's writer and creative director, has talked about how he is rewriting the story to make it suitable for the big screen.
“In two hours you can’t tell the same kind of story that you can in a game like The Last of Us, which is 15 hours,” said Neil Druckmann, talking to MCV. “I’m in the middle of it now, and it’s been super difficult because there’s so much that happens in The Last of Us – even just in the cinematics – that can’t fit in a film, let alone all the gameplay in-between and dialog.”
Druckmann confirms that the film will still focus on Joel and Ellie, but that a lot of other stuff from the game will end up on the cutting room floor.
“It’s been really difficult to cut certain things out, but what I’m starting to get this is really focused narrative that’s about these two characters. Some parts will be similar to the game and some parts will be quite different, but it’s kind of interesting in helping me understand this other medium and its strengths compared to video games.”