Ever since the PlayStation exclusive, The Last of Us, took the gaming world by storm in 2013 – not only with its brutally realistic, hard-hitting, and extremely well thought-out gameplay, but also with a cinematographic experience that is all that and then some – there has been one question in fans’ minds: “Will we see this emotion-packed post-apocalyptic survival game recreated on the small or big screen?” And the answer is yes, we will.
Some false hope sowed disappointment just a year after the game’s release, when The Last of Us movie that was in development came to a halt due to creative differences.
Now, fans yet again have a reason to be hopeful, and this time around, the pieces seem likely to align. The Last of Us series is in the works, and it’s quite serious by the sound of it.
HBO is behind the adaptation, with none other than Craig Mazin (the creator of Chernobyl), behind the stirring wheel. He might have a soft spot for games, as he’s also working on a Borderlands movie. Mazin will team up with Neil Druckmann, the game’s writer and creative director and also the vice president of the game studio behind it (Naughty Dog), and both seem more than excited to be working together on this particular project.
“Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus,” Mazin tells The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
“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,” Druckmann says in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “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.”
Naughty Dog’s president, Evan Wells, and HBO’s longtime producer Carolyn Strauss are also on board as executive producers. To make the team even more solid, PlayStation Productions, part of Sony Pictures Television, will co-produce.
A question of great significance is whether the series will follow the events of only the first game, or will it involve ones from The Last of Us Part 2, which is set to come out on May 29 this year on PS4. Hopefully, we will find out without any issues this time, that is if you don’t count the wait we have to get through.
