The Last of Us TV series is just around the corner, and while the show was made to be very similar to the original video game, there are a few differences, particularly regarding casting. Joel and Ellie, the main characters of the story, are portrayed by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey in the HBO Max series, whereas Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson filled those roles in-game.
But what if the casting was swapped? A mod video by Speclizer explores the idea by showcasing what Bella Ramsey would look like if she were in The Last of Us 2. Here are some screenshots
It is a bit of shame that some expressions don't hold together as much, but when it works she looks amazing, imho. I hope you like the video tomorrow! 😊https://t.co/maOEFDBJr6 pic.twitter.com/cgSXaBhSqJ
— Alejandro Bielsa (@Vontadeh) January 3, 2023
You can check out the full video (with more scenes and angles) below:
If you’re wondering how this was even possible, it turns out Sony’s video games use a proprietary face-rigging system. Vontadeh, who made the Bella model, seemingly knows this system quite well, as he’s also managed to transfer Kratos’ and Atreus’ faces from God of War to The Last of Us Part 2.
We found out Ragnarok's and TLOU2's charas share UVs (we assume to share propietary face rig tech across Sony studios, but that's just a conjecture) which made model wrapping and transfering attributes really easy👀https://t.co/BNEyIibo4V
— Alejandro Bielsa (@Vontadeh) December 31, 2022
Face rigging has become a lot more complex over the years, with games now able to capture complex emotions from the actors that portray them. Motion capture technology is becoming more common in the industry thanks to games like The Last of Us and God of War, too. And while that’s a leap of progress for the industry as a whole, it also allows for fun (and funny) mods like this from the community to pop up.
The Last of Us TV series is set to premiere this January 15 on HBO Max.
Hang on, let me find some copium before these guys go into cardiac arrest.