Game-Film Adaptations, Pedro Pascal, and Hollywood’s Daddy-Elect

JETHRO ROBATHAN | FILM EDITOR

HBO’s latest addition to its roster is a serial adaptation of the critically acclaimed action-survival game The Last of Us, developed by Naughty Dog Studios. Like many, I have been lured in by the hype surrounding Pedro Pascal, who plays the lead role in the series. Quite gladly, it is worth adding, if the quality of the opening episodes are anything to go by. This is not the first Naughty Dog entry to be adapted, with star-studded blockbuster Uncharted (2022) breaking box office expectations and securing its place as fifthhighest grossing video-game film of all time. Not that revenue is the best measure of its overall quality, as Uncharted has as much substance as any other high-octane, narratively lacking film. That is: it has little to none. Game adaptations certainly are in vogue at the moment, as production companies and streaming platforms turn to pop culture staples in a move to mine untapped fanbases; Netflix’s The Witcher (2019-current) and Paramount+’s Halo (2022) are just a few recent examples. But how well do games play out on the silver and smallscreens? Like alal other forms of cinema, it is a question that largely depends on if due process is paid to script development and narrative integrity. Despite their financial success, pictures such as Uncharted or, to go back further, Warcraft (2016) suffer from overreliance on VFX and a flimsy screenplay.

The Witcher admittedly challenged the assumption that video-game films were ultimately exercises in ‘render-splendor’, with greater attention paid to both the central storytelling and character casting. Henry Cavill, a self-proclaimed nerd who has long been an active fan of The Witcher games and other pillars of the fantasy genre, is arguably the motor which keeps the Netflix adaption running once our visual appetite is sated. The same can be said for Pedro Pascal, the casting choice for central protagonist Joel in The Last of Us

Joel bears many parallels to the rampantly popular Mandalorian from the eponymous Disney+ series; both Joel and Mando are tragically lonely and traumatized figures tasked with the protection of a chosen individual. More specifically, a pitifully helpless and younger individual such as Ellie, a teenage girl who is the counterpart to Mando’s Grogu, or Baby Yoda. HBO keenly have latched onto the key ingredient, namely pairing Pascal with a vulnerable sidekick, which has made The Mandalorian so successful. Pascal himself, alongside Neil Druckmann (co-president of Naughty Dog and mastermind behind The Last of Us), has recognised the similarities in his two most recently recognizable roles.

Terming it a fortunate incident of “double-dipping”, Pascal does note key differences between the two roles: Mandalorian is helmeted and dealing with a mute alien whereas Joel has facial freedoms and is accompanied by a teenage girl. That said, the fundamental overlap is undeniable. Both protagonists are forged by the trauma of being helpless to prevent the death of loved ones and both predictably have their frigid, stoic exteriors peeled away by inevitable bonding with children who embody vulnerability and require parental role models. Further, both Mando and Joel operate within adjacent occupations, that is as bounty hunter and smuggler respectively. Usually there would be a risk of observing, perhaps prematurely, the risk of Pascal being pigeonholed into this victimcum-protector trope. Yet his filmography offers an expansive and diverse repertoire of roles which dissuades this stance. One need look no further than his lead role in Netflix exclusive series Narcos or role in The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022), a box-office flop which is deceptively enjoyable.

What does this all mean? Well, naturally it is evident that our favourite Chilean-American actor has become, quite endearingly, Hollywood’s Daddy-elect and I cannot deny being on board with it.