"Gilbert, you're leaning more toward using Emma, aren't you?"
Having worked with Gilbert for many years, Charles Roven understood exactly how he thought when it came to casting actors.
Gilbert didn't deny it. "Yes, I do have that idea."
"Why?" Scarlett asked curiously. "Wasn't Saoirse Ronan's performance better?"
"It was," Gilbert admitted, then turned to Tom Cruise. "Tom, what do you think?"
Tom Cruise didn't name a preferred choice but instead analyzed calmly, "If we're talking about fame, then Emma Watson is without question the more suitable choice. But if we're judging purely from the perspective of acting, Saoirse Ronan is the better fit."
Scarlett interrupted, "With you and Tom in the film, do we even need to worry about anyone else's fame or drawing power?"
"That's true," Gilbert nodded, no longer hesitating. "All right then—Saoirse Ronan it is. Notify her agent—she has one, right?"
"Even if she doesn't now, once this news gets out, she'll have plenty of offers," Charles Roven said with a laugh.
"That's true."
The lively audition session soon came to an end. Not long after, news broke from Melon Studio that Saoirse Ronan, an eleven-year-old actress from Ireland, had landed the lead female role in The Last of Us.
In this film, Saoirse Ronan would play the daughter of Tom Cruise's character. That was all the information both the media and fans had.
The production team kept the story under tight wraps, and even the title The Last of Us left people puzzled—they had no idea what kind of story it would tell.
The only thing everyone knew for sure was that this was another original screenplay written by Gilbert—not an adaptation.
Gilbert's original scripts had always been reliable. His The Sixth Sense, The Matrix, and The False had all been both critical and commercial successes.
Now, with Gilbert once again creating an original film and collaborating with a superstar like Tom Cruise—fans of both were filled with anticipation.
When the news reached Saoirse Ronan, the young actress was, of course, thrilled. But her family was even more ecstatic. Their daughter starring in a Gilbert-directed movie meant the whole family had struck gold.
Although she had already signed with a talent agency, her buyout fee wasn't very high, so major agencies immediately began trying to recruit her.
In the end, Sheena Boone's agency won out, signing the rising young actress who was about to star in The Last of Us.
Emma Watson, on the other hand, was a little disappointed. Despite her effort, she hadn't landed the role.
Feeling a bit guilty, Gilbert decided to call her personally.
"Still upset about not getting the part?" he asked.
Emma Watson didn't dare admit it and quickly denied it. "No, no, I understand. You've always been professional. If I wasn't chosen, it just means my performance in the audition wasn't good enough."
"I can tell you still feel a little wronged," Gilbert said. "The truth is, your audition was excellent—better than I expected, Emma. But you must understand, there will always be someone out there who's even better. That's why I always say—keep a humble heart."
"Yes, yes, I understand. Thank you for your advice," Emma said, her emotions mixed. "Can I visit the set sometime? Not to bother you—but to learn."
Gilbert hesitated briefly but didn't refuse. "All right. Come by when you have time. Maybe you can even cameo in a small role or two."
To be honest, if the role of Sarah hadn't already gone to Dakota Fanning, giving it to Emma Watson would've been quite fitting—and a nice way to make it up to her.
But now, even without that, it wasn't as though Emma Watson could really have any complaints.
Once the auditions were done and the cast was finalized, the first order of business was a full table reading of the script.
Tom Cruise had already read the script several times—three or four, in fact and had even written his own notes and character analysis for Joel.
For Saoirse Ronan and the other actors, it was their first time seeing the full version, and everyone agreed the story was deeply moving.
There was, however, one potentially controversial scene—where a soldier shoots Sarah.
As everyone knew, mainstream commercial films generally avoided showing children being killed on screen. That had always been one of Hollywood's earliest forms of "political correctness."
But Gilbert was determined to keep the scene. During the table reading, he explained his reasoning to the cast.
"On the surface, the catastrophe seems to be caused by a fungal infection. But if you think deeper—what's truly frightening isn't the disaster itself.
It's the darkness in human nature that emerges during a disaster. That's one of the key themes we're exploring.
At the same time, we can't ignore the light within humanity—the moments of compassion and love. People are complex, a mixture of good and bad. We can't label anyone simply as a hero or a villain."
Aside from the script work, another major task was art design and location planning.
The Last of Us was, in essence, a road movie—Joel and Ellie would travel through many ruined cities and reclaimed natural landscapes filled with forests, lakes, and overgrown wildlife.
Starting in August, executive director James led a photography team across various regions of the United States, capturing footage of iconic landscapes.
They filmed places like Yellowstone National Park, the vast plains of the Midwest, the mountain ranges of the West, and the Great Lakes region.
Meanwhile, art director Serena worked with the art and set design departments in Australia and New Zealand, building cityscapes ravaged and reshaped by nature.
Although many of the shots would be enhanced with visual effects, Gilbert insisted that as many scenes as possible be constructed with physical sets or models.
One of the most emotionally powerful moments in the script was when Joel and Ellie climbed a staircase, pushed open a door, and suddenly stood before a breathtaking sight.
The ruined city blended seamlessly with the natural world—nature's might had reclaimed the man-made, transforming the urban landscape into part of its ecosystem. At that moment, a herd of giraffes wandered by, peacefully living without human interference, as if thriving in this new world.
When Gilbert first played the game, that very scene gave him an overwhelming sense of spiritual cleansing—an epiphany, as though he suddenly understood something profound.
But later, he realized he hadn't truly understood anything at all.
For this sequence, Gilbert insisted on shooting it live.
As the saying goes, "The director speaks, the crew runs themselves ragged." To meet his demand, the art department drafted dozens of designs. After several rounds of Gilbert's review and approval, construction for the scene finally began recently in a certain location in New Zealand.
All the animals required for the scene had already been arranged through coordination with zoos across New Zealand and Australia, ready to take part in filming.
In August, the Last of Us production team held an official press conference attended by Gilbert, Tom Cruise, Saoirse Ronan, and other key members of the cast and crew.
At the event, Tom Cruise spoke about his collaboration with Gilbert.
"I'm incredibly happy to be working with my good friend Gilbert again. Back when we were shooting The False, we already discussed this project.
I've been deeply fascinated by this story ever since, so the moment Gilbert said he was preparing to move forward, I couldn't wait to join in.
We're ready to create something truly great."
.....
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