Awesome News Just Dropped For HBO's The Last Of Us Series
Rumors and speculation about a live-action adaptation of the mega-hit apocalyptic action video game The Last of Us have been swirling since the title was first released in 2013. Most recently, there have been rumblings that the game was going to be adapted as a series for HBO. Now, the network has officially announced that The Last of Us series is on its way.
The news came via a press release sent to Looper, in which HBO announced that the adaptation has been given a series order. But that's only part of the excitement. The announcement also confirmed reports that Craig Mazin, best known for HBO's acclaimed Chernobyl miniseries, will be writing the upcoming adaptation alongside Neil Druckmann, the writer and co-director of the original game as well as one of the co-writers and co-directors of the intense, revenge-filled sequel. Having Druckmann involved with HBO's The Last of Us will no doubt be a huge positive for fans of the game who are eager to know that the series will remain true to its roots.
Mazin and Druckmann will also be executive producers of the series, as will Carolyn Strauss, who worked on Chernobyl and Game of Thrones; Evan Wells of Naughty Dog; and Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan of PlayStation Productions.
The press release also confirmed something important about the plot of the upcoming series that's sure to please diehard fans.
The Last of Us series will stick to the plot of the game
When The Last of Us HBO series was first announced, some fans were wondering whether the show would adhere to the plot of the video game, or veer off in its own direction. After all, the world created by The Last of Us is rich and expansive, and it's very easy to imagine a TV series that tells a completely different story than the game itself.
Well, wonder no more. In its press release, HBO confirmed that the adaptation will be sticking with the plot of the first game, at least in general terms.
This means we'll be seeing a live-action retelling of smuggler Joel's journey across fungus-zombie-infected America to deliver 14-year-old Ellie to a rebel group called the Fireflies. The two protagonists were the only characters mentioned by name in the press release, but we wouldn't be surprised if supporting players like Marlene, Tess, and Henry make the leap to live-action as well. It also wouldn't be a shock if new characters or side plots were added, but, at the time of writing, no information about whether HBO will be fleshing out the narrative or changing elements for the series has been released.
There also wasn't any information about casting, although we already know who Joel's voice and motion-capture actor Troy Baker would choose if he had his way. (Hint: It's someone in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.) Speculating on who will be chosen to play Joel and Ellie will at least give fans something to do while they wait for HBO's The Last of Us.