Neil Druckmann and Alex Garland are well-regarded creatives who have delivered iconic entries into the zombie genre. Garland wrote 28 Days Later, and Druckmann is the creative visionary behind The Last of Us games.
Sony put the two together for an interview, and despite 28 Days Later's influence on the zombie genre, Garland admits that The Last of Us forced him to up his game.
“The Last of Us is Better Than 28 Days”
In an appearance on Creator to Creator, Garland tells Druckmann during the interview:
“Let me say this. The Last of Us is better than 28 Days. The thing about The Last of Us, I was like, ‘Oh, this was so much more sophisticated and moving.’ It was very nice for me, with The Last of Us, to sort of feel like someone saying, ‘Raise your game.’”
Replying to Garland gushing about his game, Druckmann also admitted that “there’s a direct line between the fast infected [in 28 Days Later] and the infected in The Last of Us.” Druckmann also mentions Einstein’s quote that ‘the secret to creativity is learning how to hide your sources.’
How Resident Evil Inspired 28 Days Later
Garland admits that he’s always been an avid gamer, and The Last of Us (and BioShock) helped him realize the narrative potential of video games that cannot be realized through movies or television.
For 28 Days Later, though, which set itself apart with fast, running zombies, Garland says he got the idea from playing Resident Evil. As it turns out, he had always gotten a jolt of fear whenever he would have to go up against the undead dogs, and he realized that it would be the same kind of fear if he made the zombies start running as well.
Revisiting '28 Days' and Starting Something New
For now, it seems that Garland and Druckmann are working on opposite creative projects. Garland is returning to write 28 Years Later, while Druckmann is breaking new ground with the next Naughty Dog franchise, Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet.
With Garland’s last work in the 28 Days franchise being the first movie, it will be interesting to see just how much he’s changed over the years and how that would affect how 28 Years is written.
Druckmann admits in the interview that he came up with the themes for Intergalactic despite the fans' deep hatred of The Last of Us Part II. Though many critics enjoyed the game, it’s curious what direction Druckmann will take with this new title and how it may apply the lessons he learned from making The Last of Us.
No release date has been set for Intergalactic yet, but fans can look forward to Garland’s 28 Years Later, which will be released in cinemas on June 20.