"The Last of Us" movie still in infancy stages but on track

With “The Last of Us,” Naughty Dog craftsman Neil Druckmann helped create one of the most emotionally affecting survival games ever released.


Now, as he writes the script for Screen Gems’ upcoming big screen adaptation of “The Last of Us,” he’s endeavoring to make the first truly great video game movie.


Druckmann and filmmaker Sam Raimi, who will produce the film through his Ghost House Pictures banner, surprised the Hall H crowd at Comic-Con International in San Diego on Friday morning with a presentation devoted to the project, which is still in its nascent stages, hoping to stoke fan excitement for its upcoming adaptation of the apocalyptic survival game.


“The Last of Us” was one of the most widely lauded games of 2013. The story tracks Joel, who is hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl, Ellie, out of a quarantine zone, but their personalities clash as they traverse the once-familiar terrain of Boston, which has become all plant life and crumbling buildings in the wake of an infection that has decimated the human populace.


The intimate character moments between the two leads was one of the things that hooked Raimi, who described himself as a gamer when addressing the audience, and he also stressed that a “Last of Us” movie would closely hew to the game.


“It doesn’t need to be different,” Raimi said. “It just needs to capture the core of what made ‘The Last of Us’ special to so many fans.”


Both Druckmann and Raimi promised a “laser focus” on Joel and Ellie’s relationship in “The Last of Us.” Although the film has yet to be cast and a director yet to be hired, Druckmann mentioned that he had met with “Game of Thrones” actress Maisie Williams, who plays the headstrong Arya Stark on the HBO fantasy, about the role of Ellie.


Raimi, a favorite among the Comic-Con set for his “Evil Dead” movies and his “Spider-Man” trilogy, said at the panel that he was currently at work on an “Evil Dead” TV show, though he shared few details about that project.


At the end of the Hall H session, Raimi received an Inkpot Award, celebrating his many contributions to the “popular arts.” The surprised director exclaimed “What the heck?” before accepting the prize with by saying, he was “honored to be a fan and be one of you guys.”


latimes.com


Arya Stark as Ellie?. That could work!.

Though if they really want to go for likeness in the looks department Ellen Page is a no- brainer!.

'Bones' Comic-Con Panel

Plenty of juicy tid-bits to mull over until the 5th season premiere on Sept. 17th 2009.

Cyndi Lauper as Angela's psychic?, can't wait!.

Joss Whedon & Eliza Dushku 'Dollhouse' Panel Comic-Con

I've been waiting for this. Joss never fails to make me laugh.



Joss and Eliza Comic-Con interview.

Joss Whedon talks 'Dollhouse' Season 2 @ Comic-Con

SAN DIEGO — Before the screening of the fabled lost episode of Joss Whedon’s “Dollhouse,” “Epitaph One,” the man behind the hit show took a few minutes to talk to the media about the upcoming (and unexpected) season two.

“Epitaph One” has long been rumored to be a game-changing episode for the series, a rumor that was proved true both when the episode screened and when Whedon was asked if the episode could be considered a “second pilot” for the series.

“I wouldn’t call it a second pilot but it is definitely a different vision and it will contain a lot of things about the characters and who they are and where they’re heading that people might not have seen or expected,” Whedon said.

There are a lot of developments expected more specifically for the character of Echo, portrayed by Eliza Dushku. When asked if it was somehow the case that the other dolls and the other characters in the show were somehow “projecting” onto Echo, Joss replied, “Yes, you’re very right to say that they’re projecting on her. A lot of her life, not just because she’s a doll, but also just in general, has to do with the fact that people become obsessive about her. But we are going to learn and starting in this season that they’re not wrong, that there is something truly special about her and that she is going to be a major in factor in what happens to Dollhouse over the next few years.”

Tahmoh Penikett’s Paul Ballard, an FBI agent who was focused on finding the Dollhouse and eventually did, (In fact, at the end of the first season he appeared to be joining the Dollhouse in some capacity) is another character facing some changes for the new season.

“We had always intended for Paul to find the Dollhouse and for his interaction to change because we didn’t want him to be like the reporter in ‘The Hulk,’ showing up too late every episode,” Whedon said of the Ballard character. “And now they’ve been working on him from the outside with November and his alliance with Echo is going to be really tested, because he’s going to be in there with her partially to protect her but also to find out what’s really going on. You know you can gaze into the abyss or you can actually live in it, it’s going to affect you. so we are going to see that while (Echo) is starting to grow, we’re going to see that everybody else really starting to come apart a little bit.”

“Dollhouse” is certainly a kind of abyss — without a doubt, it is the only show on television to so brazenly portray such ethically questionable and morally deep actions and situations. This is not lost on Whedon.

“I think with this show, I want to say to the people who have, you know, felt a connection with me, that maybe you want to back away and avoid eye contact,” he said. “That maybe there’s something horribly wrong with me, and this is my very poetical way of expressing that. I think of it as a work that actually frightens me at times in a way that my shows seldom got to. At the same time I have that sort of jolly love of everything that’s going on and have to be reminded that what I’m doing is reprehensible. So it’s a mature work in the sense that I grew up and went insane.”

On a more serious note, the ethical dilemmas and the role of human nature embedded in the premise of “Dollhouse” are what interest Whedon and are what he will elaborate on more in the upcoming season.

“Well I think ultimately the thing that fascinates me is morality and personal politics; the politics of the personal, of the person in the moment as opposed to the statement,” Whedon said. “Yet I would say in terms of the second season, the abuse of power and the different kinds of forms it can take is going to become broader and more, in fact, political, and we’re going to see the Dollhouse in the world a bit more.”

Perhaps it is that same uncomfortable material that the show deals with that is partly to blame for why “Dollhouse” had a hard time getting renewed.

“I’d say it came extraordinarily close to being canceled,” Joss said. “I’d say it was probably pronounced on the table and we went, “Nooo!” (feigns CPR) and the camera pulled back and it went (gasps) and the music came up and we all cried,” Whedon dramatized. “It came down to some very simple numbers that people worked in a very complicated fashion to fudge laughs and ultimately the fact that my shows have never gone that big, you know they’re marathon runners, they’re not sprinters. This is the studio where I did those shows, even when they weren’t on that network. And they know that, so they fought hard to make it as easy for the network as possible. So it was really the hardcore fan base, the people who are here, to tip the scale. And that scale was tippy.”

Certainly Whedon is no stranger to one of his shows getting axed. The cancellation of “Firefly” infuriates embittered fans (and Whedon, himself) more than half a decade later. With “Dollhouse” so close to the brink, almost from day one, people did wonder if Whedon treated the new show differently than he did “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” or “Firefly.”

“I have been hurt before, it’s true. So I made the decision early on just to phone it in. I really feel that that’s better for me,” he joked. “No, you know what — I’m a little bit wiser and a little bit more removed in terms of how I deal emotionally with the whole business of it, but when I get into the story that’s the only world I live in. And I love the characters and I love the cast so much, so that when I get into the writer’s room, and we’re talking about them, that’s our life. And in the same way that’s our only life and all we do is get excited and come up with things that we’re a little embarrassed we thought of.”

Source: blastmagazine.com

And if that's not enough good news for all Whedonites out there.

LATimes Blog revealed that more Buffy alums would be joining the Dollhouse in the new season.

Aside from Summer Glau (which was already reported on earlier in the year) Felicia Day (also from Firefly) and Angel's Alexis Denisof will be making an appearance (yay!!).

Hmm...could his appearance mean a possible one for his wife Alyson Hannigan as well?.

Nah, that's probably asking too much. But I can dream.

'Spartacus' and 'Seeker' thrill @ Comic-Con

WOW. Is it January yet?!. Looks like Rob & co. have outdone themselves once again.

Speaking of the new season 2 trailer for Legend of the Seeker was also released.



Word is that Buffy alum Charisma Carpenter aka Cordelia Chase will be on the show as well (I hope she gets a big part).

Can't wait to see the sneak-peek for Dollhouse.

TTSCC Comic-Con teaser

With season 2 only 3 days away (woo-hoo!!). I thought I would share one more awesome promotional trailer.

This particular teaser was shown at this year's Comic Con. Enjoy, bring on the premiere!.

More T:TSCC @ Comic-Con

The cast of T:TSCC, Thomas Dekker, Lena Heady and Summer Glau

Movieweb.com has interviews with the cast of Sarah Connor Chronicles, minus Lena Heady :(.

The videos contain lots of spoiler-y bits on the new season, so be sure to check it out.

Also hop on over to JustJared for some great photos from the panel as well.

For the people who simply cannot get enough of this kick-ass show (and it's cast and creators).

You can watch the entire T:TSCC Comic-Con Panel courtesy of the Sarah Connor Society blog.

"Bones" @ Comic-Con

The cast of "Bones"

Yep, more stuff from San Diego this time on a show I don't mention very often for some reason even though it is an absolute fave, Bones.

I found a couple of spoiler-filled reports from the Comic-Con Bones Panel that I thought I would share.

The first one is (once again) from EW.com and the second from TV Squad which includes some nice pics.

But where the heck is Dr. Brennan herself (Emily Deschanel)?. Guess she was busy solving crimes in the lab.

The most important tid-bit to take away from both articles?.

"This year, Booth (Boreanaz) and Brennan (Deschanel) will be in bed together naked".

Whoo-hoo!, Booth and Brennan fans rejoice! ;) ( and it better not be some kind of dream sequence damn it).

For anyone eagerly awaiting the 4th season premiere of Bones don't forget the 2-hour premiere airs September 3rd on FOX.

Joss Whedon, Eliza Dushku @ Comic-Con

Just a couple of videos I found of Joss, Eliza and Tahmoh Penikett (of Battlestar Galactica fame) discussing Dollhouse.





The second vid is a little hard to understand at times due to background noise, but you still get the jist of it.

And if that isn't enough go to EW.com to watch another awesome pre-Comic-Con video interview of all three.

I can already tell Tahmoh and Eliza will work well togather, they have great chemistry.

Sarah Connor Chronicles Comic-Con news

Lots of good stuff from the San Diego Comic-Con in regards to T:TSCC.

Check out EW.com and BuddyTV for all the skinny on the show. Warning the articles do contain some major spoilers.

If you're not averse to spoilers however you can read more of them on the Sarah Connor Society Blog already linked on here ;).