The Last of Us director Neil Druckmann is currently working on a new original IP for Naughty Dog, but he has one game idea that’s actually based on a hit movie from last year.
In a talk with director Alex Garland for Creator on Creator, Druckmann says that he could see a game based on Garland’s movie Civil War. Druckmann explains:
“… That feeling when I saw Civil War. That’s another one where I saw that and I’m like, ‘This will make an amazing game.’ Just the mechanics of being a photographer and going like across the country and heading into danger, but there’s something familiar and yet very unfamiliar about that journey.”
For context, Civil War follows the story of photographers (played by Cailee Spaeny and Kirsten Dunst) as they go on a cross-country trip documenting the war-torn United States. This alternate reality imagines an America divided and president Nick Offerman (who was also in The Last of Us) has seized absolute control.
Interestingly enough, there are a lot of common elements in the movie that could be applied to a game similar to The Last of Us. Not only is it a familiar setting with an unfamiliar twist, but the cross-country element with the different factions do feel like it be altered for a game-based narrative.
Admittedly, the world of Civil War isn’t as heavily fleshed and there would be a lot of room for a developer to fill in the blanks. Druckmann may not be able to work on it, but hopefully some developer would be willing to pick it up.
I guess I just miss video game tie-ins for movies.
A Civil War game isn’t officially happening, but Druckmann’s Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet is expected to launch for the PlayStation 5 sometime soon.
