Sony's The Last of Us to get film adaption with help from Spider-Man director Sam Raimi

The post-apocalyptic survival game wowed critics, but can a big screen adaption match up?

The Last of Us will be turned into a film by developers Naughty Dog and Ghost House Pictures

Critically acclaimed survival horror game The Last of Us is set to get a big screen adaption, with staff from the game’s developers helping bring the already cinematic title to cinemas.

Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who was creative director for the game, will write the script while Sipder-Man director Sam Raimi will produce the live-action film.

“Since our game released last June, we've talked with many companies about making a film, but we couldn't have found better partners who share our creative vision and high standards,” said Naughty Dog co-president Evan Wells.

“We look forward to collaborating with Sam, his team, and Screen Gems, to make a movie that will thrill fans of ‘The Last of Us' and general audiences worldwide.”

The game, released exclusively for the PS3 in June 2013, focuses on two survivors in a post-apocalyptic USA. Set in 2033, The Last of US follows two survivors, the grizzled Joel and the younger Ellie, as they try to survive in a world ravaged by a fungal infection that turns humans into zombie-like figures.

The game was praised by critics for its story-telling, characterization and harrowing use of violence, but some gamers are worried that the very qualities that made it great on consoles will be lost on screen.

“Stripped of its “game-ness,” The Last of Us may turn into just another post-apocalyptic sci-fi zombie movie,” writes Paul Tassi for Forbes.

“The powerful performances that made the game great would be hard to replicate, and things like the rich environments and realistic combat wouldn’t necessarily wow people onscreen as they did in the game.”

For those interested in getting a sneak peek as to how The Last of Us would look as a movie, one fan has already created his own attempt – stitching together all the cut-scenes and linear game play to create a six-hour epic. Hopefully Sony will bestow a kinder run-time on audiences.