Live-action film based on popular and critically acclaimed video game The Last of Us

Sam Raimi and his Ghost House Pictures banner has teamed up with Screen Gems–who will handle distributing duties–to produce a live-action movie adaptation based on the popular and critically acclaimed multi-award winning game The Last of Us.

Neil Druckmann, creative director of Naughty Dog, who developed the game has taken to the task of writing the screenplay. Drukmann and co-presidents Even Wells and Christophe Balestra from Naughty Dog will also produce along with game director Bruce Straley.

Released in June 2013, The Last of Us teams up a tough survivor with that of a vulnerable young girl and has them on a journey covering landscapes of an exceedingly altered world. Set twenty years after a pandemic has infectiously devastated the evolution of humanity, these two individuals­–who haphazardly met–must survive along their travels making live-threatening decisions. The game explores a modicum of themes including love, loyalty, survival and redemption in an psychologically thought-provoking and emotional voyage across a post-epidemic United States.

With over 200 global Game of the Year awards from prominent outlets including USA Today, E! Online, Yahoo!, IGN, and a WGA award for “Outstanding Achievement in Writing for Video Games”. The post-apocalyptic video game also leads nominations for BAFTA’s video game awards.

Screen Gems Brian Dukes has said that when he had seen the quality of the story arc in the game, he knew that there was an audience much greater than just the gaming community, and that it would have to be Neil Druckmann who wrote the screenplay. Clint Culpepper has also has also been quoted as saying “Sam Raimi and his Ghost House team round out the perfect group to help realise Neil’s Vision”.

The news was first reported by Deadline.