The Original Joel on 'The Last of Us' Was Skeptical of the Show

While there are some who scoff at the suggestion of a "curse" on live-action video game adaptations, the creators of The Last of Us are not among them. They believed in the curse; they feared a TV show. A flop would tarnish the game's legacy. Few would have had a better claim to this skepticism than Merle Dandridge, Troy Baker, and Ashley Johnson, who played Marlene, Joel, and Ellie, respectively, in the games. Back then, decked out in black mocap suits, pandemic-ravaged America existed only in their imagination.