Series co-creator, Craig Mazin, explains why The Last of Us episode 5’s sniper scene was changed from the iconic sequence in the original PS3 game.
Spoilers for The Last of Us episode 5 below!
The Last of Us adaptation’s co-creator, Craig Mazin, has explained why episode 5 changed the iconic sniper scene from the original video game. HBO’s popular zombie horror drama is based on the award-winning 2013 PlayStation 3 game of the same name. Pedro Pascal stars as Joel Miller, a weathered survivor and black market smuggler who is tasked to safely escort 14-year-old Ellie (Bella Ramsey) across the United States to a revolutionary faction that aims to use the girl’s immunity to the zombie infection to save the world.
While on HBO’s The Last of Us Podcast following the explosive conclusion of The Last of Us episode 5, Mazin discussed why the sniper scene deviated from the source material.
In the original game, Joel, Ellie, Henry, and Sam are pinned down by a skilled sniper at the end of a cul-de-sac in a residential area. The player as Joel must sneak through various houses, eliminating Hunters, and kill the sniper. Like the game, the HBO series saw the group forced behind a car by the sniper, but Joel quickly realizes that the shooter isn’t that skilled and quickly flanks and confronts the old sniper. Instead of surrendering, the sniper aims his rifle at Joel who shoots and kills the frail man. Read why Mazin decided to change the scene and sniper character below:
And this wasn’t us going, “Hey, we’re going to subvert expectations.” It was really more like, “Well, what if there is a sadness to this?” Because we understood…we weren’t going to get the same value from presenting the action the way that the gameplay did. That watching it on television that there was a lot of ducking and shooting back, and ducking and shooting back. It just sort of isn’t — it’s not the show. But I’m obsessed with the cul-de-sac and I’m obsessed with the sniper.
Then the thought was, “Well, what if he stinks? What if the sniper is really bad and all Joel has to do is just get around and get in there?” And then the next question is, “Well, why is he bad?” The answer is, he’s really old. He can’t see. And this is sad because when you are dealing with the citizen brigade, this is often what you’re dealing with. It’s not trained military soldiers, these are people. And this guy…has seen a lot because — let’s say he’s, what, 80. That means for 60 years of his life he was living in a perfectly normal world and the last 20 went to shit. And the sadness there. God only knows the amount of grief he has gone through.
When Joel walks in there, I think, Joel can already see it in the guy’s eyes, he’s going to commit suicide-by-cop here. He doesn’t want to be here anymore. And [Joel’s] begging him not to. He doesn’t want to. He doesn’t want to kill this guy. He doesn’t want to hurt this guy. But this guy’s had it. He’s done.
How The Last of Us Has Honored The Original Game So Far
Leading up to The Last of Us‘ record-breaking premiere, creators Mazin and Neil Druckmann stated that they aimed to deliver a faithful adaptation of the original beloved video game. However, the two also admitted that the HBO series will include significant changes to the world of The Last of Us, as well as some additions to the narrative. So far, these have included the revelation of the origins of the deadly fungal infection, the nature of the Cordyceps mutation, among many others.
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With over half the season gone, The Last of Us has been well-received by audiences, with a bulk of the gaming community hailing the series as a video game adaptation done well. The series not only captured the look and feel of the popular franchise, but it also meticulously recreated specific moments from the game, even including the same dialogue. Through the use of real sets and practical effects, HBO’s The Last of Us managed to realize the game’s bleak post-apocalyptic setting while bringing the terrifying infected to life in incredible detail.
The Last of Us episode 3 exemplified the strengths of HBO’s adaptation, effectively changing the entirety of Bill’s chapter within the game while honoring the beloved character. The episode recontextualized Bill’s life and relationship with Frank through the show’s thematic of lens of love as a mirror to Joel’s partnership with Tess and his growing bond with Ellie. With The Last of Us halfway through season 1, the series will likely continue to honor the game with callbacks and homages to moments that made the video game so iconic.
Source: The Last of Us Podcast
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