The Last of Us, the massive Sony PlayStation video game franchise, is coming to HBO from the creator of the acclaimed limited series Chernobyl, the bleak and complex true-life event, and became a must-see show for HBO.
The series will be the first television series from PlayStation Productions is based on the game The Last of Us launched in 2013 by Sony and Naughty Dog games. The Last Of Us is the tale of the post-apocalypse centering on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be key to a cure for the deadly pandemic. Since its release the game has won numerous “Game of the Year” awards and sold more than 17 million copies across both its original release on the PlayStation 3 platform and a remastered version on PlayStation 4.
The HBO series will cover the events of the video game, as Joe, the hardened survivor is hired to smuggle the 14-year-old girl out of the oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
In a rare development in the world of video game adaptations, Neil Druckmann, the writer and creative director of the game, will work with Craig Mazin, the creator of the acclaimed limited series Chernobyl, to pen and executive produce the series. Druckmann, a long time vet of Naughty Dog, started with the company as a programming intern in 2004. By 2007, he was put in the role action-adventure on Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune, the first installment in that action-adventure series. It wasn’t until 2013 that Druckmann created The Last of Us, which was based on a concept he developed as a student at Carnegie Mellon University. The Last of Us Part II, also written by Druckmann, is set to release on May 29, 2020, and it is expected that story beats from the new game may make it into the series.
Carolyn Strauss will also executive produce along with Evan Wells, the president of Naughty Dog, the Santa Monica-based developer of the game. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions.
Mazin, who is believed to be an avid player of the game, stated in The Hollywood Reporter:
“Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus. Getting a chance to adapt this breathtaking work of art has been a dream of mine for years, and I’m so honored to do it in partnership with Neil.”
The Hollywood Reporter also released a statement from Druckmann about the project:
“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. 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.”
HBO programming president Casey Bloys stated:
“This is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us to partner with Craig, Neil, Carolyn, and the teams at Sony, Naughty Dog, and PlayStation to bring the virtual world of this acclaimed game to life.”
When asked to comment on the project, Chris Parnell, co-president of Sony Pictures Television Studios said:
“This is the first of many shows we intend to develop with our friends at PlayStation Productions. The Last of Us is a brilliant achievement in storytelling and character development, and we are lucky to have the opportunity to work with this team to adapt it.”
There has been no release date for the show at this time.
