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.
If these hollywood writers could just stick to source material it would be better. Its always a fucking shame when they think they are "better" writers than the Original Source.
"Dur we need to mix in some complex dumb shit that doesn't fucking fit" [Reply]
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
If these hollywood writers could just stick to source material it would be better. Its always a ****ing shame when they think they are "better" writers than the Original Source.
"Dur we need to mix in some complex dumb shit that doesn't ****ing fit"
Since the original writer of the game also is writing and producing this show..... your opinion doesn't make sense. Maybe try "he is a sell out" approach? [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRedChief:
Since the original writer of the game also is writing and producing this show..... your opinion doesn't make sense. Maybe try "he is a sell out" approach?
I don't think he's implying that's an issue with this show. The opposite actually. [Reply]
Originally Posted by BigRichard:
I never heard of or played the game but I watched this last night and found it funny where I could actually see where each part of it was a game mission... Get money for battery... find out battery has been sold to someone else... break into someone else's hideout and steal battery.
nah....game was much more smooth and integrated into the story than that.
Originally Posted by BleedingRed:
If these hollywood writers could just stick to source material it would be better. Its always a fucking shame when they think they are "better" writers than the Original Source.
"Dur we need to mix in some complex dumb shit that doesn't fucking fit"
Or just don't follow the source material at all and instead exploit previously fleshed out characters with no regard to tell your shitty fucking story that no one would've had any interest in otherwise. [Reply]
Is that why this has the feel of just another zombie show?
Because this seems like a paint by numbers zombie show. Tortured protagonist w/ a young ward who holds the key to a 'cure' that he has to protect and guide to...wherever. And along the way he'll encounter sorta episodic 'hazards' that make the job seem far more complicated than it appeared at first glance...
So we just sit back for 10 episodes and wait for the twist that yields a second season.
Rinse/repeat.
Don't get me wrong, these are a couple of great actors and the visuals seem like they're going to be excellent. But this strikes me as a path VERY heavily traveled to this point so I guess I'm just a little perplexed by why this should be seen as a world apart from what we've seen before. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
So I've never played the game.
Is that why this has the feel of just another zombie show?
Because this seems like a paint by numbers zombie show. Tortured protagonist w/ a young ward who holds the key to a 'cure' that he has to protect and guide to...wherever. And along the way he'll encounter sorta episodic 'hazards' that make the job seem far more complicated than it appeared at first glance...
So we just sit back for 10 episodes and wait for the twist that yields a second season.
Rinse/repeat.
Don't get me wrong, these are a couple of great actors and the visuals seem like they're going to be excellent. But this strikes me as a path VERY heavily traveled to this point so I guess I'm just a little perplexed by why this should be seen as a world apart from what we've seen before.
It's strange to say, but I don't think the show is going to raise to the heights of the game. The pseudo Josh Brolin (Joel) and Ellen Page (Ellie) from the games are just better realized and have better chemistry than what I've seen from the show thus far. No shade on Pedro. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJ's left nut:
So I've never played the game.
Is that why this has the feel of just another zombie show?
Because this seems like a paint by numbers zombie show. Tortured protagonist w/ a young ward who holds the key to a 'cure' that he has to protect and guide to...wherever. And along the way he'll encounter sorta episodic 'hazards' that make the job seem far more complicated than it appeared at first glance...
So we just sit back for 10 episodes and wait for the twist that yields a second season.
Rinse/repeat.
Don't get me wrong, these are a couple of great actors and the visuals seem like they're going to be excellent. But this strikes me as a path VERY heavily traveled to this point so I guess I'm just a little perplexed by why this should be seen as a world apart from what we've seen before.
I've been curious to see how well they can build suspense and drama with the series over a full season or more.
Because the beauty of the game at the time was that it WASN'T some traditional zombie game. You didn't run around with a shotgun blasting hoards of zombies in the face.
The game was a story driven, tactical "stealth" game. Shooting guns, for the most part, made shit that much more difficult. The idea was to sneak around. Rather than a shotgun blast to the face, you'd throw a can off to the distance to distract them so you could sneak by in the dark. You spent much of your effort NOT making a sound, and instead attacking with tact. Not that you COULDN'T go guns blazing, but you were often limited in ammo and like i said before, you'd attract the attention of more "zombies" thus making it that much more difficult.
The game was a success because the suspense and thrill was built into the gameplay, and the story itself really made you feel for the characters. You'd wait by a doorway as a "clicker" slowly shuffled about, hoping not to get caught.
How they'll translate that tension into film? No idea. Im only halfway through the first episode. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
First episode was confirmation that they're sticking to the source material.
Not that I ever had any doubts about this.
GOAT video game story mode + HBO + creator of Chernobyl = guaranteed classic
I'm not worried about the beginning of the show sticking to the source material. I'm worried about the end of this season. In order to make the story in the second game work, they changed a few things from the end of the first game. So honestly I don't know which direction they'll go, but it may be dictated on what they've got in mind for season 2. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Hank Hill:
Since we're talking about the game a bit in here, how did you guys like the second game?
I think we can all agree the first game was a masterpiece. But to be truthful, I didn't really like the second one all that much. (No spoilers please)
It was wonderful. I hated the spoiler part when it happened but as the game finished I understood and appreciated the story for what it does. It is not as strong as the first as it is just 100% perfect, but it's not far behind. [Reply]
