The Last of Us' Series in the Works at HBO From 'Chernobyl' Creator Craig Mazin, Neil Druckmann (Exclusive)
MARCH 05, 2020 9:30AMby*Borys Kit, Patrick Shanley
Craig Mazin, the creator of the acclaimed limited series*Chernobyl,*is reteaming with HBO adapt*The Last of Us, the massive Sony PlayStation video game franchise.
In a rare development in the world of video game adaptations, the writer and creative director of the game, Neil Druckmann, is also involved, and will work with Mazin to pen and executive produce what is intended to be a 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 and in association with PlayStation Productions and it will be the first television series from PlayStation Productions.
Originally launched in 2013, Sony and Naughty Dog’s*The Last of Us*garnered critical praise for its engrossing tale of the post-apocalypse centered on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler in this new world, and Ellie, a teenager who may be a key to a cure for the deadly pandemic.
Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle the14-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 HBO series will cover the events of the original game, which was written by Druckmann, with the possibility of additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel,*The Last of Us Part II, which will release on May 29, 2020.
Mazin, who is said to be an avid player of the game, stated, “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.”
“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,” said Druckmann in a statement. “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.”
Last of Us*won numerous “game of the year” awards and went on to sell more than 17 million copies across both its original release on the PlayStation 3 and a remastered version on the PlayStation 4.
“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,” stated HBO programming president Casey Bloys.
“This is the first of many shows we intend to develop with our friends at PlayStation Productions,” said Chris Parnell, co-president of Sony Pictures Television Studios.*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.”
Druckmann is a longtime vet of Naughty Dog, starting as a programming intern in 2004. In 2007, he was given the role of game designer on*Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, the first installment in the action adventure series. In 2013, he created*The Last of Us, based on a concept he developed as a student at Carnegie Mellon University.
Mazin’s*Chernobyl*tackled a bleak and complex true-life event and became a must-see show for HBO. The show won an Emmy for outstanding limited series and landed one for Mazin for outstanding writing. Mazin also won a PGA and a WGA Award.
Get real you children. It was huge news when the second one came out and that you murder Joel and go on a path of adventure where you learn his death was for the best. Cause lesbians. If you hadnt heard that and you were gonna play that game, I just saved you a lot of hours.
That wasn't huge news, it was a leak. The other character was not a lesbian. That IP (TLOU2) is not a decade old. You heard rumors, believed them and act like you know what it's about. Congratulations. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dmahurin:
That wasn't huge news, it was a leak. The other character was not a lesbian. That IP (TLOU2) is not a decade old. You heard rumors, believed them and act like you know what it's about. Congratulations.
The Critical Drinker covered tlou2 thoroughly Marcus. I watch all his videos, even the live streams.
And you misunderstood what he said, were drunk as well and confused, or not intellectual enough to understand his words. You have something wrong right off the top in your prior posts.
The story is rich and is told from two opposing viewpoints of the same story. Abbie and Joel are very alike. I didn't say Ellie, I said Abbie. You formed your opinion on falsities based on your world view. I would expect no less from you, it's hilarious. [Reply]
imagine forging your opinions from a YouTuber, one named The Critical Drinker no less, and calling others "children".
I only played the first game, so I have no idea, nor really care tbh, about the talk of the second one(or the potential second season of the show), but I enjoy this show so far. I did notice that they changed the daughter who dies in the first fifteen minutes of the game from a white girl to a black girl, but it didn't bother me because I'm not that thin skinned so who cares.
Good show, anticipating what comes next. Especially with Offerman on the horizon. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Sure-Oz:
Dick move to post spoilers. They may be people that haven't played already in the thread.
Several people including myself have said here they know nothing about the game and this fucking loser goes out of his way and exposes big plot points because he feels the game hurts his feelings as a white man.
Talk about low class stupidity. Ironic that he’s trying to start a CP book club to compensate. [Reply]
Originally Posted by TwistedChief:
Several people including myself have said here they know nothing about the game and this fucking loser goes out of his way and exposes big plot points because he feels the game hurts his feelings as a white man.
Talk about low class stupidity. Ironic that he’s trying to start a CP book club to compensate.
That really sucks. Hopefully it won't ruin the rest of the show for you and others. If you're not interested or irritated by the show gtfo of the thread about the show. I was mildly spoiled about the 2nd game but not detail wise before I played it and it didn't ruin my experience but I had a general idea of what was gonna happen. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Stryker:
Yep, episode 2 was awesome! They are really doing a great job with this so far!
I'm not even watching the next episode trailers and just wanting to be surprised seeing this world unfold even if I've beaten the game 4x. Loving every second. [Reply]
Spoilers are one thing but c’mon these games have been out for years and there’s no guarantee the show will follow the game yet alone the sequel to the game as well.
That said, really cool thing about this film is how they used older style twenty dollar bills, really adds detail to the show. [Reply]
Originally Posted by A Salt Weapon:
Spoilers are one thing but c’mon these games have been out for years and there’s no guarantee the show will follow the game yet alone the sequel to the game as well.
That said, really cool thing about this film is how they used older style twenty dollar bills, really adds detail to the show.
Who cares if the game has been out for years. Most people that watch probably didn't play the game, so they don't know what happened. It's like spoiling a series based on a book because the books been out forever. Shitty thing to do and the guy that did it is a shitty person and poster. He knew what he was doing. [Reply]
Originally Posted by A Salt Weapon:
Spoilers are one thing but c’mon these games have been out for years and there’s no guarantee the show will follow the game yet alone the sequel to the game as well.
That said, really cool thing about this film is how they used older style twenty dollar bills, really adds detail to the show.
Spoilers happen accidentally and I get it. No tears there. But this guy is spoiling it for people in the context of making a political point and then - when it’s pointed out what he’s done - he doesn’t delete the original post or anything but rather says we’re all children and to fuck off. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
Who cares if the game has been out for years. Most people that watch probably didn't play the game, so they don't know what happened. It's like spoiling a series based on a book because the books been out forever. Shitty thing to do and the guy that did it is a shitty person and poster. He knew what he was doing.
Like me. I’m in favor of nut hooks for Vlad. [Reply]