THE LAST OF US Series Is Coming to HBO

Renee Lopez

Rumors were flying back in 2014 of a potential movie based on the highly acclaimed video game The Last of Us. Sam Raimi was set to direct and Screen Gems was slated to release it. After months of speculation, the idea of the movie seemingly disappeared.

While a movie is still not off the table, The Hollywood Reporter released an exclusive today that The Last of Us will be made into an HBO series with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and writer and creative director Neil Druckmann from Naughty Dog.

This is incredible news for fans of the game. Moving the adaptation to TV gives Druckmann, who will write the series with Mazin, more freedom to explore this vast, post-apocalyptic world that he’s created.

From the article: “From the first time I sat down to talk with Craig I was equally blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us,” said Druckmann. “With Chernobyl, Craig and HBO created a tense, harrowing, emotional masterpiece. I couldn’t think of better partners to bring the story of The Last of Us to life as a television show.”

The series will be closely based on The Last of Us, which was originally released on the PlayStation 3 in 2013.  The story follows Joel, a smuggler with a tragic past, and Ellie, a young girl with a life-changing secret. The game starts in 2013 when an outbreak of a mutant Codryceps fungus infects most of the population in the United States, turning them into creatures called the Infected. Joel manages to avoid infection but not before a horrible tragedy occurs. 20 years later, Joel is living in a quarantined area and the United States has turned in a barren wasteland where the surviving humans live in designated zones and settlements.

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While a cure has yet to be discovered, Joel meets a young girl name Ellie who has been infected by the virus but hasn’t been turned. She becomes the focal point of the game as she may hold the key to finding a cure. Tasked with taking Ellie to a militia known as the Fireflies, we follow Joel’s journey from Boston to Pittsburgh, to Jackson County, Wyoming and finally to Salt Lake City. Throughout their journey they are met with rival factions, the Infected, cannibals, and bandits. At every turn they are forced to make hard decisions in the name of survival.

At the end of the game, Joel makes an important decision that changes everything. It’s an emotional, tear-jerking outcome and one that is best left to be experienced rather than be explained.

Ultimately, The Last of Us is about family and the love and care that Joel and Ellie eventually have for each other. Joel becomes like a father to Ellie and it’s their relationship that drives the game.

News of the series comes at a perfect time. The Last of Us Part II, the long-awaited sequel, is set to be released on May 29, 2020 for the PlayStation 4. The story focuses on Ellie and is set five years after the events of The Last of Us.

With the series in the works, the next question will be who will play the leads. What are your thoughts? Who would you cast in The Last of Us series? Let us know in the comments. 

 

Renee Lopez
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