The recent HBO show The Last of Us is already proving to be a huge success, with the video game adaptation pulling in huge audience figures and receiving rave reviews throughout its first season. As well as its star-studded cast and commendable budget, many are lauding how faithful the show remains to its gaming source material and the impact that this has on the believability and depth of the show.

It is also worth noting that The Last of Us is doing well to break the perceived curse that many insist exists within video game adaptations, with the success of the show juxtaposing the many failed adaptations that have been historically produced. With this in mind, The Last of Us opens the door to a variety of other live-action adaptations that could hope to replicate the same dedication and respect to source material, and a Red Dead Redemption adaptation could be a perfect candidate for this.

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The Success of HBO's The Last of Us

The Last of Us Ellie

HBO's The Last of Us aims to tell the full narrative of its video game source material in a ten episode series, and many speculate that a subsequent season will then tell the tale of the title's 2020 sequel. The show painstakingly recreates the tone and overall motifs of the apocalyptic release, with the survivors and infected in HBO's The Last of Us being extremely faithful adaptations of those present within the games.

Perhaps most impressive is the near shot-for-shot recreations of some of the title's most famous and memorable cutscenes, with some emotional The Last of Us scenes taking their exact dialogue and direction from the game. This attention to detail is clearly resonating well with fans, as The Last of Us continues to rise in popularity with each weekly episodic release. The Last of Us continues to break viewership records for HBO, putting a positive contemporary spin on the otherwise shaky reputation of video game adaptations.

A Live-Action Red Dead Redemption Adaptation

Lord of the Rings Developers Red Dead Redemption

Of course, the scope of video games that are suited for adaptations is massive, but none come quite as close as being comparable to The Last of Us as the Red Dead Redemption franchise. While it is true that The Last of Us offers a more intimate and narrative-driven experience, the story of the RDR franchise is still critically acclaimed, as are the characters that exist within it.

While The Last of Us shines with its post-apocalyptic setting, a Red Dead Redemption show would prosper with its dedicated Old West theme, which is one of the most storied settings in the mediums of film and TV. It can be said that both of these franchises hold similar levels of cultural significance, with 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2 breaking sales records in the same way TLOU 2 did.

Both franchises have two games each to adapt from, indicating a similar level of longevity that does not over extend itself, yet is still enough to leave hopeful fans satisfied that a comprehensive adaptation has been created. The show could either start with the events of either Red Dead Redemption title, telling a revenge tale spearheaded by John Marston, or one of morality and outlaw in-fighting with Arthur Morgan in a protagonist role. Crucially, both IPs have the same contrast between action-packed set-pieces and more reserved and emotional character studies, with the success of The Last of Us only strengthening the chances that a live-action Red Dead Redemption show could reach similar heights.

The Last of Us debuts new episodes every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.

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