We all know that movies based on video games are uniformly awful (even though I have a soft spot for the first Resident Evil, personally). But if any game can successfully make that transition, it’s Naughty Dog’s “The Last of Us”…the thing is practically a movie anyway.

Sony dropped the bomb today that such a movie is in development, and its being written by the same guy that made the game (Neil Druckmann), and produced by horror icon Sam Raimi. Even better, it’s rumored that Arya Stark herself, Maisie Williams, is a strong contender for Ellie.

That sounds like a great casting choice, so fingers crossed if it’s true. If it is, they just need to find their Joel. Lots of people have mentioned another Game of Thrones alum, Nicolaj Coster-Waldeau, and, well, see for yourself:

Not a bad likeness at all, yeah?

If there’s an element to all this I’m iffy about, it’s Sam Raimi. I love this guy’s movies as much as any horror buff, but his movies tend to lean toward the goofy. He’s only a producer, and I think he’s the kind of guy who knows when to respect  the source material. Only time will tell.

Now, to play the cynic: why does The Last of Us even need an adaptation in the first place? The game itself is an excellently told tale of horror and loss, with a great cast in Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker. People have even cut all the cut-scenes together and posted them on YouTube. And there is just something about actually PLAYING the game that adds an extra layer to it all, like you’re actually making the journey with these characters, that’s a unique element to games as a storytelling medium.

In any case, here’s hoping they make a damn good movie.