What path has marked The Last of Us? A path that Red Dead Redemption could take soon to succeed on the small screen.
Red Dead Redemption may follow the path of The Last of Us. HBO has a hit on its hands with this video game turned TV series. The success of the show brings other properties, such as the Rockstar Games western, to a new level of interest for Hollywood adaptation. While Naughty Dog offered its storytellers a well-constructed story, Grand Theft Auto’s version of the Wild West faces different challenges.
The HBO series marks the path of the future
The western is as present as the post-apocalyptic genre, although in its day it was as big in pop culture as superheroes are today.. Rockstar Games’ Red Dead Redemption series began in 2004 with Red Dead Revolver, which was followed by two sequels for modern consoles. Unlike The Last of Us, however, there is no cohesive story across the titles. So while it would be a challenge to adapt this western satisfactorily, the HBO series can serve as inspiration. If only for how it alters details of the games to better shape a story for television.
Just like the games a Red Dead Redemption TV series could tell anthology stories across a generation or two, following the decline of the pioneer west. Also, like in the games, it could demystify the legends of the Old West to highlight just how brutal, cruel, and sometimes stupid that era in American history was. We will see what ends up happening in the future with the possible adaptation of the Rockstar Games video game. Of course, the bar for The Last of Us has been set very high. But it can serve as inspiration for a new era of television adaptations.
