A prequel centred on Ellie’s mother, Anna, almost became a reality. It should go without saying, unless you’re caught up with The Last of Us, that this story will include spoilers from the recent season finale, so catch up before you read on!
During a press conference attended by Variety, Neil Druckmann confirmed that the vision of a prequel series focusing on Anna had been in the works. “There was some stuff written for the mom and dad when we were talking to this other game studio to potentially do a whole Anna game.”
“I’m reluctant to say anything about it, because as I’ve now found out several times, stories that I think are failures and will never see the light of day, sometimes see the light of day,” he added. Druckmann also confirmed that he had penned a short script focused on Anna, documenting “how she gave birth to Ellie and was bitten at the same time — and wasn’t sure if she was infected during that birth,” Druckmann said.
“And it became this little character drama that spoke to the same themes of parental love for their child and how much you’re willing to do, even when you’re on death’s door,” he continued. Anna, an original character only referenced briefly during the first game, was developed for The Last of Us adaptation and portrayed by Ashley Johnson, who voiced and motion-captured Ellie in the source material.
After being bitten by an infected, Anna gives birth to Ellie, and cuts her umbilical cord after discovering the bite. “I don’t feel like anybody else could have done this part,” Johnson said of Bella Ramsey, who plays Ellie in the series, adding that she had “finally watched the last episode and she’s so f*cking good.”
Would you have enjoyed a prequel based around Anna’s life? If you still want some sort of prequel you can take a look at TLOU Part 1 on PC, but make sure to use the right settings, since the game’s port is not good. Let us know in the comments below, and keep your eyes on GameLuster for more gaming news.
