Jack Black thinks Red Dead Redemption would make for a better video game adaptation than The Last of Us. Based on the Naughty Dog video game, The Last of Us season 1 followed Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie's (Bella Ramsey) harrowing journey across a post-apocalyptic United States, which will be continued with season 2. The faithful HBO adaptation has garnered massive acclaim and been touted as the adaptation to finally break the so-called video game curse. The Super Mario Bros. Movie represents a slight step back for the genre considering its reviews have been decidedly mixed.
Black, who voices the fire-breathing Bowser in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, recently spoke to the BBC about the rise of video game adaptations. The actor, who is big fan of video games, cited the success of HBO's The Last of Us as proof that video game adaptations can work well. However, Black thinks Red Dead Redemption could rival The Last of Us as an adaptation. Read Black's full comments below:
"I'm a fan of adaptations, when done right. The Last of Us was fantastic. And what's crazy is how loyal it is to the original source material. It's basically all from the game with just a couple of tweaks. It's going to win all the awards. They used the video game almost like a storyboard and I was like, "Whoa, this looks just the same." And there are some great games that have yet to be explored in television or film. Maybe there's going to be a Red Dead Redemption movie? There should be, because I think that [has] just as good or [an] even better story than The Last of Us."
Could A Red Dead Redemption Movie Happen?
Rockstar's Red Dead franchise currently spans two main installments, 2010's Red Dead Redemption and its 2018 prequel Red Dead Redemption 2. Both were released to critical and commercial acclaim and, like The Last of Us, are considered some of the best video games of all time. Red Dead has been eyed as a potential television or movie adaptation because of its well-developed characters, immersive gameplay, expansive world, and captivating story. However, there hasn't been much actual progress in getting an adaptation off the ground, other than Henry Cavill expressing interest in a Red Dead Redemption 2 movie.
Black is now the second well-known gaming personality to express interest in a Red Dead Redemption movie, claiming it has a better story than The Last of Us, which is considered by some to be the greatest story ever told in the video game genre. The potential issue with a Red Dead Redemption adaptation is that it has no cohesive storyline across the games, which poses a significant challenge to adapting it in a satisfying manner. Unlike The Last of Us which tells a tightly constructed story, a Red Dead Redemption adaptation might have to adopt an anthology format.
Source: BBC