The Last of Us is coming to HBO! The Hollywood Reporter reports that the video game will be adapted into a series by its writer and creative director, Neil Druckmann, in collaboration with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. In addition to writing the script, the pair will serve as executive producers, alongside Carolyn Strauss and Evan Wells, president of the game’s developer Naughty Dog.
Look for the light. @clmazin and @Neil_Druckmann to develop the series adaptation of #TheLastOfUs, coming soon to HBO: https://t.co/z9c2h86EYw pic.twitter.com/AkT6fET4Im
— HBO (@HBO) March 5, 2020
According to THR, the storyline will cover the plot of the first game, with possible tidbits being folded in from The Last of Us Part II, which comes out in May. Here’s the official synopsis of The Last of Us, from PlayStation:
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20 years after a pandemic has radically changed known civilization, infected humans run wild and survivors are killing each other for food, weapons; whatever they can get their hands on. Joel, a violent survivor, is hired to smuggle a 14 year-old girl, Ellie, out of an oppressive military quarantine zone, but what starts as a small job soon transforms into a brutal journey across the U.S.
The game stars Troy Baker as Joel and Ashley Johnson as Ellie (via both voice acting and motion capture), but it’s currently unknown if either will be involved in the TV series.
This marks the first-ever TV series from PlayStation Productions, who’ll be partnering up with Sony Pictures Television on the production, THR reports. And there are plans for more. Speaking to the outlet, Sony Pictures Television co-president Chris Parnell said HBO’s The Last of Us is “the first of many shows” they intend to develop with PlayStation Productions.
There’s no word yet on a release date or a cast list, but fan-casts on Twitter seem to favor Game of Thrones‘ Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Hugh Jackman for Joel, with Kaitlyn Dever and Sophia Lillis as top contenders for Ellie.
