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.
Originally Posted by Vladimir_Kyrilytch:
Called it in back in August that this would be woke. Not the hardest thing to predict anymore, but y'all thought this would be like the first video game, and I knew it wouldn't. I knew this would be woke as hell. The race-swapping for the main characters is a pretty obvious giveaway about something going woke. There are other tells that some of you might PM me about and I'll tell you.
Here's a dude released a video about this propaganda.
There's nothing woke about the second game. A trans character exists and is central to the story being told. It doesn't steer you to be pro trans, or anti anything. It's a great story.
And to bitch about Pedro playing Joel is stupid. Look at side by sides from him as Joel in the game. He is pretty damn spot on for the look. [Reply]
First of all, Pedro Pascal is a really good actor.
Second, this hardly even qualifies as a race swap. Like you say, he looks a lot like Joel anyway, but Pascal is Chilean-American. Check the demographics for the country- most of those people are descended from Europeans.
Being a white guy isn't central to Joel's character either.
Originally Posted by ThaVirus:
He's got to be trolling.
First of all, Pedro Pascal is a really good actor.
Second, this hardly even qualifies as a race swap. Like you say, he looks a lot like Joel anyway, but Pascal is Chilean-American. Check the demographics for the country- most of those people are descended from Europeans.
Being a white guy isn't central to Joel's character either.
This is nothing to get upset about.
He's a pseudo intellectual who quotes things/people and seems to live an opposing lifestyle. Either a troll supreme or a major hypocrite. Probably a bit of both. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dmahurin:
There's nothing woke about the second game. A trans character exists and is central to the story being told. It doesn't steer you to be pro trans, or anti anything. It's a great story.
And to bitch about Pedro playing Joel is stupid. Look at side by sides from him as Joel in the game. He is pretty damn spot on for the look.
That character in the 2nd game isn't even trans lol. [Reply]
Originally Posted by staylor26:
That character in the 2nd game isn't even trans lol.
Pretty much. Is a girl, doesn't want to be forced into a girl's role in their version of a post apocalyptic society, cuts off her hair and changed to a boy's name. It never says trans but is highly implied. [Reply]
Polygon said it's incredibly faithful to the video game, but when it does something new, they feel its at its best. With no Chiefs this weekend, this will be my highlight, looking forward to it. However they said that Season 2 will likely go right into the second game, and wouldn't make it's own material after that. But then Druckmann said that there's more story to tell from the games, so I guess this thing is just lasting 2 seasons unless Naughty Dog releases another game in the next three years. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJJasonp:
Can't wait........here's hoping the start is as exciting as the start of the game.
I dont think I've played any game that had a more intense start to it.
I'm not telling my wife about it at all, I've laid out Ellie and Joel but haven't really mentioned anything about the first fifteen minutes. It won't be the Red Wedding, but it'll be fun to see her reaction. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Gravedigger:
Polygon said it's incredibly faithful to the video game, but when it does something new, they feel its at its best. With no Chiefs this weekend, this will be my highlight, looking forward to it. However they said that Season 2 will likely go right into the second game, and wouldn't make it's own material after that. But then Druckmann said that there's more story to tell from the games, so I guess this thing is just lasting 2 seasons unless Naughty Dog releases another game in the next three years.
I think that blows if season 2 follows game 2. [Reply]