The Last of Us is an epic, gorgeous, glorious video game. And now it's headed to HBO and HBO Max as a series.
WarnerMedia has announced as much, with the executive producers behind the hit series Chernobyl and Game of Thrones on board. Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) is on board, along with Carolyn Strauss (Chernobyl, Game of Thrones) on the HBO side. They're joined by Neil Drukcmann of the Uncharted and The Last of Us game series, along with others from Naughty Dog, which produced the game.
“Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own,” Francesca Orsi, Executive Vice President, HBO Programming, said in a press release. “With them at the helm alongside the incomparable Carolyn Strauss, this series is sure to resonate with both die-hard fans of 'The Last of Us' games and newcomers to this genre-defining saga. We’re delighted to partner with Naughty Dog, Word Games, Sony and PlayStation to adapt this epic, powerfully immersive story.”
The original The Last of Us was released on PlayStation 3 in 2013. (A PS4 version was released the following year.) A sequel — The Last of Us Part II — was released in June 2020. Here's how the folks at AndroidCentral described the follow-up:
If you're looking for a beautifully crafted post-apocalyptic world, it doesn't get much better than this. The game is just about as polished as can be, and everything from the acting to the level design is impressive. What's going to divide players is the story. There's a lot to discuss, but we'll keep this review as spoiler-free as possible.
No word yet on any of the cast, or when, exactly, we'll be able to expect the series. (Figure nothing before 2022, at least.) Here's the description from HBO thus far:
The story takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an 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.
The Last of Us will be available on HBO and HBO Max.
