GreyHorace
Member
It'd be fucking hilarious if Reacher dunks all over The Last of Us during the awards season.
Kaitlyn Dever officially casted as Abby for The Last of Us Season 2
- Thread starter JORMBO
- Start date
- Watchers 24
- Announcement
Thread: Kaitlyn Dever officially casted as Abby for The Last of Us Season 2
Reacher is Entertainment TV, it isn't competing against Drama TV. I loved Bosch, and it is a series I always recommend to people, but it was never getting any mainstream award nominations, even though it was super popular. Reacher is the same.
GreyHorace
Member
And The Last of Us isn't Entertainment TV? Cuckmann and his fanboys seem to think that it's some sort of high art, when it's no different to The Walking Dead. And did The Walking Dead ever clean up during awards season?
Duckmann isn't the only person involved in the show's production. Craig Mazin is the guy who got the ball rolling on the show in the first place and he was behind the HBO Chernobyl series which is highly regarded, and if anything the TV series not being a shitshow is likely down to him. It's a mistake to think that Duckmann is leading the charge on this. Albeit Season 1 was written by the two of them during Lockdown I fully expect there will be a bigger writer's room for Season 2 and a lot of the game's storyline failures will be ironed out accordingly. HBO prides itself on the quality of it's output and albeit they aren't above putting out the odd stinker, someone like Mazin knows the difference between Shit and Shinola.
As for 'The Walking Dead' despite a reasonably decent first season (in large part thanks to Frank Darabont) it was never destined to be top-tier award-winning TV because the source material itself just wasn't that great beyond the premise.
GreyHorace
Member
I've not watched Chernobyl so I really can't judge how good this guy Craig Mazin is as a showrunner, but he'd have to be a miracle worker to somehow salvage Cuckmann's awful storyline for TLOU2.
As noted earlier in the thread, it will get retooled and reworked likely over two seasons so it can breathe, and much of the stupidity and plot contrivances will get ironed out. TV Critics are a lot less forgiving when it comes to storylines versus game journalists. To compete for honors against other series it will need to be a tightly written drama, because the reality is for all the 10/10s best series ever scores given out on IMBD and rotten tomatoes by the Stans when the rubber hit the road of the awards, that doesn't mean shit versus what the actual critics think.
ExpandKong
Post-Approval Survivor
- Platforms
Still laughing my ass off at Druckmann standing there in his lil cranberry colored suit posing for nobody
Yeah. it's pretty amusing to see him think his star is that bright. Should have stood with Pedro and then he could have deluded himself that he mattered.
- Platforms
GreyHorace
Member
Whoa. She's actually gorgeous. Could it be HBO wants normies to jack it off to some lesbo sex?
- Platforms
I'm honestly surprised they didn't find an Israeli actress for the role. Mayhap they're killing off the whole 'Jewish heritage' thing.
On point. I don't want to diss on Bella too hard, but let's be honest, she has a face made for Radio. The idea that her cunnilingus skills are so profound that after one drug-fuelled sex sess Dina is so besotted that she immediately signs up to assist Ellie with a probable suicide mission 860 miles away, still makes me laugh tbh. It's some CW Network level of dumb writing. The hope would be that with the TV series, they make it a bit more organic, but at the same time, they have to balance out Jessie getting Dina pregnant so there is still a time frame. Also, despite Jackson being one of the few surviving human enclaves and dating prospects likely being pretty slim, the fact that Jessie is 'cool' with Ellie hooking up with Dina and the inevitable small-town gossip hit that would have upon his future dating prospects still beggars belief. When your character's entire purpose is to be nothing more than a sperm donor, who doesn't even qualify for a 'No..they killed Jessie!!' when you get capped.
- Platforms
GreyHorace
Member
CW Network writing is on point. The fact that game reviewers praised the rushed lesbian romance shows a) how much they suck as reviewers, b) makes plain where there priorities are.
And the whole deal with Jessie bothers me. He's literally just there to get Dina pregnant so she and Ellie can have a child. And when he gets killed later on there's no mention of him ever again even to mourn him. And let's not forget the fact that Sony mislead gamers with the marketing to hide his presence.
HellforLeather
Member
- Platforms
Do yourself a favor and watch Chernobyl.
Dacon
CROM
- Platforms
This is really odd to me. Why didn't they just get the chick who is the model for Dina to be Dina. She has acting experience. They did it for Marlene.
Is it bc she has massive tits irl?
This is how they catch ya. They give you an Ellie Page
get them hormones flowing
And then bam. Elliot Page comes a knocking.
get them hormones flowing
And then bam. Elliot Page comes a knocking.
GreyHorace
Member
Just how pathetic do you have to be to use memes to stay relevant?
Too old and too tall at a guess. The smart play with the first season would have been to cast an age-appropriate actress to play 14-year-old Ellie on the basis that they'd likely still grow in height between the seasons. However of course they didn't do that, so they're lumbered with a 5ft 1" lead actress, and therefore so she doesn't come across as perpetually overshadowed they need to cast short for everyone else. Thus why Abby is 5'2" and Dina is 5' (because obv Ellie needs to be the top in the relationship).
Just how pathetic do you have to be to use memes to stay relevant?
It just seems like a great way to dilute your brand honestly. Look at us game devs doing goofy shit with our characters. The ones that we want you to take seriously.
Honestly, I kinda wouldn't of minded if they didn't kill Joel off, and are still currently using him whimsically afterwards.
I think if these things arose from the fanbase they'd sit better, but the Studio made all of these. Some real huffing your own farts territory. Given Druckmann is heavily involved in the TV series which is almost certainly going to run over 2 more seasons, meaning his involvement is likely going to keep him occupied through to 2027-28 you have to wonder at what point does he step down/get replaced at Naughty Dog given he's supposedly head of Creative and the firms co-president. Those don't seem like the sort of roles you can part-time on.
GreyHorace
Member
Yeah. If the fans were doing this shite I'd understand, as it's proof of a game's popularity. But the fact that Naughty Dog themselves are doing these gifs has a real old man trying to be hip feel to it.
And the bit you mentioned about Cuckmann being heavily involved with the TV series is saddening on the part of Naughty Dog. The studio should be leading Sony's charge of developing some kickass PS5 exclusives, not standing on the sides to fulfill Cuckmann's Pedowood ambitions.
And speaking of which:
Yet more Cuckmann approved media to help salve the wound of his humiliation during the Golden Globes.
ExpandKong
Post-Approval Survivor
- Platforms
Come on Neil make some more last of us 2 memes instead
Vyse
Blue Rogues Captain
- Platforms
Kojima: "I'm working on multiple new games and adapting Death Stranding into a movie."
Me:
Druckmann: "I canceled our new game and here's more The Last of Us Part II."
Me:
Me:
Druckmann: "I canceled our new game and here's more The Last of Us Part II."
Me:
Not that I thought Lev was a terrible character in themselves, but Fat Geralt was the hero we never knew we needed.
CAPTAIN RAINCOAT
Member
- Platforms
they wont win Emmy's if part 2 storyline is adapted as a copy/paste like the first season was..........part 2 was a great game to play but the pacing/structure is what really ruined it
It won't be. Druckmann might be next to fucking useless when it comes to pacing/structure but Mazin knows his shit. Albeit the two of them alone worked on Season 1 during lockdown, I fully expect more experienced writers to be drafted in going forward simply to add a bit of variety to the voices in the series (because let's face it most of them are insipid) as well as bring fresh ideas to the table in terms of approach. Druckmann I suspect might find himself marginalized and be more of a figurehead.
There's an enormous amount of well-thought-out criticism of the game out there on YouTube that extends far beyond the usual 'It's Woke' knee-jerk ranting, that digs into the game's many flaws both in terms of being a sequel, the storyline, coherence, structure, and worldbuilding failures. Albeit as we well know Druckmann is too much of a fragile egotistical bitch to do more than consider all of this stuff merely the work of 'haters' I suspect Mazin though much less so. HBO likely sees legs with the TV series so the expectation from them would be that they're going to get a tight product and nor a mess like the last couple of seasons of GoT.
I could see them probably having Joel die in the first episode largely devoid of context as an opener, simply for the shock value, but then the rest of the season would be the events before that both from Ellie's and Abbie's side told in parallel. The second season culminates in the actual death of Joel in context. Leaving the 3rd season to be about Ellie's pursuit and planned revenge against Abby.
Still, with that said I do live for the idea that they royally fuck things up and everyone finally realizes that Druckmann is an absolute hack.
GreyHorace
Member
Has The Last of Us been the ratings hit that HBO's been looking since Game of Thrones ended? If that's the case I can see the scenario you've just described happening behind the scenes. It must make Cuckmann seethe in silence to watch his 'magnum opus' heavily rewritten in order to make it watchable for streaming audiences. But being the fragile douche that he is, he won't object to any changes if he wants this show to stay on the air because he's that desperate for validation from the Pedowood crowd.
The show was very successful according to the numbers. In truth though given that TLOU was essentially a TV series plot I wouldn't have said it was a challenge to adapt.
GreyHorace
Member
I was referring to TLOU2 when I mentioned Cuckmann's 'magnum opus'. Without people like Bruce Straley to tard wrangle his ass he was free to let loose his woke SJW narrative just like he did on Uncharted 4 without Amy Hennig to get in his way.
I have no intention of watching the series, but maybe Craig Mazin can salvage something from Cuckmann's shitty narrative and make some good streaming tv.
The idea of Joel's past catching up with him in the sequel, thus opening up for Ellie to take on the role of the protagonist wasn't in itself a terrible one. The issues arose from the paucity of implementation because there wasn't a Bruce Stratley around to keep Druckman's excesses in check as he did with the first game. Any creative endeavor requires it to be tempered and tested and the sense is with the narrative of TLOU2 Druckmann and Gross, simply didn't undertake any degree of playing devil's advocate with the material in terms of 'does this make sense within the context of the world building?' when they were writing it versus huffing each other's farts.
With the show, I expect that tempering to happen and the 'first draft' feel of the TLOU2 to be smoothed over, esp given the criticisms of the game are well documented. The fact that they cast waifish Kaitlyn Dever as Abby versus some teenage muscle mommy in itself is indicative of them not looking to slavishly follow the game.
GreyHorace
Member
Again, that's why I'm laughing my ass off at the amount of compromise Cuckmann has had to do get this show off the ground. With the TLOU2, he was given complete creative control without his pesky colleagues to tell him some of his ideas sucked. But he can't do that here with HBO and a guy like Mazin breathing down his neck. The fact alone that he can't see his fetish for a roided up monster woman in live action must make him SEETHE.
Cuckmann probably wishes he got the same deal JK Rowling did when Warner got the rights to adapt Harry Potter. Rowling of course got complete creative control, from casting to script changes.
Again, that's why I'm laughing my ass off at the amount of compromise Cuckmann has had to do get this show off the ground. With the TLOU2, he was given complete creative control without his pesky colleagues to tell him some of his ideas sucked. But he can't do that here with HBO and a guy like Mazin breathing down his neck. The fact alone that he can't see his fetish for a roided up monster woman in live action must make him SEETHE.
Cuckmann probably wishes he got the same deal JK Rowling did when Warner got the rights to adapt Harry Potter. Rowling of course got complete creative control, from casting to script changes.
I'll be honest mate, your entire 'Cuckmann this!!' 'Cuckmann that!!' Schick is getting a little wearing to read, and your lurid fantasies that somehow he's internally deeply unhappy about having his Game Story turned into a high-profile HBO TV series of all things are fanciful at best. I think the lifetime residuals he will earn from it will more than allay any concerns he might have over the 'sanctity of his vision', even if he never manages to produce anything worthwhile afterward (which seems increasingly likely to be the case).
Different mediums require different treatments, this isn't some grand revelation. Also, the practicality of production has to be factored in when dealing with real actors, as opposed to game ones, especially if you're looking to deal with time jumps, etc. For instance, a lot of the usual YouTube Critics made a big song and dance, over Natalie Portman not beefing up and working out for the last Thor Film for instance. As terrible as that movie was (and it was dire), there were practical reasons why they went the CGI Muscles route, because, on top of playing female Thor, she also needed to play 'dying of cancer' Jane Foster. Sometimes people's need to simply 'hate on' something gets in the way of understanding the 'why' of things. Does knowing that make Thor: Rock and Thunder a better movie? Not at all, but at least we can criticize it fairly versus make ourselves look like clueless chumps in the process.
Let's assume that the events of TLOU2 run over two seasons. Now it makes sense to probably go for a bold open on Season 2 where Joel gets his head stoved in by Abby in the first episode, devoid of context, to act as a narrative hook for the audience. Then they spend the rest of the season covering events from where the first season left off up to Joel's grisly end in full detail, parallelling the stories of both Joel and Ellie as well as that of Abby and the fireflies and how they ended up joining the WLF and finding Joel. This way they can keep Pedro in the show for the second season, maybe even Season 3 with flashbacks.
Now the thing to consider with the character of Abby in the game is, that she undergoes several body transformations. Firstly she's young when her father gets killed she is pretty normal looking, when she's in the WLF she's roided up, then she's leaner when she's with Lev when they get caught by the Rattlers and finally, she is emaciated when Ellie confronts her on the beach. Is it practical to ask an actress to go through all of that for over two seasons of television? Especially on a shooting schedule. The weight gain and bulking up would be a challenge, but the weight loss afterward would be brutal, and studios aren't keen on actors going to extremes. Matt Damon famously wanted to starve himself when he did The Martian, just so he could look emaciated and the Studio said 'No way Jose' because he almost died pulling a similar stunt when he did Courage under Fire in his twenties. I expect Kaitlyn Dever might Gym Rat it a bit when required, but it makes far more sense for the writers to change the character up and adopt a different approach, esp given there was a massive backlash against Abby's appearance within the gaming community as unrealistic given the post-apoc setting, and that sure as hell wouldn't be any the lesser if they repeated the exercise for TV.
Don't get me wrong. I think Druckmann is an absolute hack, and it still astounds me to this day that TLOU2 came to market as it is because the entire storyline feels like a rough first draft versus something that should ever have seen the light of day given just how many gaping plotholes run throughout it. However, nothing that can't be rectified by the TV series at the end of the day because HBO expects their series to pass muster. Unlike AMC whichwas merely happy with the rating success of TWD, never mind the actual quality, HBO wants the ratings and the critical plaudits come awards season. Awards are a big thing for them, it keeps them on top and it keeps them being able to license their shows overseas.
GreyHorace
Member
Eh... sorry if I seem obsessed with Cuckmann getting his just desserts. It's just that it's one of those rare occasions where I want a creator to fail in his endeavors. Neil has made no secret how much he despises us gamers and how 'misogynist' we are (ironic given how much suffering women go through in his games). The fact that The Last of Us 2 failed to set gaming world on fire despite all the critical accolades (of course it didn't help with all the leaks) is schadenfreude at it's best as I said. Guys like him are the reason why the gaming industry is in the state that it is and I'd be very much glad if he fucks off from it. I only hope Naughty Dog as a company can salvaged and become the great gaming studio it once was.
Grisham
Ensuring Transparency
