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.
Consider this. Think about the original John Wick film.
His dog, a posthumous gift from his wife, is killed by the smug son of a crime boss.
John, despite pulling off a miracle to get out of that life, is willing to sacrifice that freedom for bloody retribution. After slaughtering his way through the crime syndicate, piling up the bodies, has the revenge that he's given up his way of life for at his fingertips........
Now imagine John just letting the guy that killed his dog walk away at the end.
If you think that would have been a great ending to John Wick, you're going to love TLOU2.
Originally Posted by Wallcrawler:
Lmao. So, it wasn't the fact that Cordyceps took over the planet, it wasn't that they cast a walking talking potato to play Ellie, it wasn't even that it was a subpar zombie show with a big lack of infected in the first season.....
It was that the carnival rides still worked without the tender loving touch of a one tooth redneck to maintain it.
That's the funniest shit I've read in a long time.
No its because I found the whole thing stupid and uninteresting. The carnival crap was just the last straw of stupid shit. [Reply]
Originally Posted by DJJasonp:
I answered every single question from the reerun (even amongst his manson-like wall-of-text rant).
I'm pretty sure he didnt even read it. He's too busy writing "laces out" all over his upstairs attic.
Heh.
So look. If I ask someone to repeat themselves, it isn't because I didn't hear them. (Or in this case read it), it's that what was said was so stupid, I feel morally obligated to give that person a do over. Unfortunately for you, this concept flew over your head and chance after chance to have a mulligan was passed on.
I find it extremely difficult that you actually believe any of your defense of such idiocy.
Now dilphag9, I'd expect this from. He can't help himself and it's not his fault.
Maybe you do in fact fall in the target audience for Neil Druckman, and will buy literally anything, and even the most basic common sense is not a requirement for you to not only enjoy the story, but trumpet it as one of the best games stories ever told.
"Turn your brain off" isn't supposed to be taken literally. Not sure if you caught the memo on that either.
I have a spectacular bridge to sell you, by the way. [Reply]
:-) God Damn dude, we get it. You didn't like the video game and don't like the adaptation. It's been 5 years since the game was released. How's about dipping out of the thread and leaving it for the folks that DO want to enjoy it? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Sassy Squatch: :-) God Damn dude, we get it. You didn't like the video game and don't like the adaptation. It's been 5 years since the game was released. How's about dipping out of the thread and leaving it for the folks that DO want to enjoy it?
Some people take TV shows and games too seriously... Its entertainment.. Not football..:-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by Kman34:
Some people take TV shows and games too seriously... Its entertainment.. Not football..:-)
Not really a big deal at all. If pointing out hilariously illogical immersion breaking full retard decisions in a story being touted as "one of the best stories ever told" is what you consider taking things too seriously you need to lighten up as well.
Poking fun at one of the folks trumpeting this nonsense as great writing by pointing out a few examples of the worst writing weve ever seen, and the doing a bit of admitted trolling by treating his hilarious defenses of said decisions as a non response, isn't really anything to wring your hands over. Its pretty standard CP fare.
However, there appears to be an ever increasing number of CP posters who cannot process a post more than three sentences long, and in this sect is where you'll find the largest number of supporters of this show/game, because it appears to be too much to ask to think about what you've just seen, and reason out if it actually makes sense or not.
Like if you're just full on washing Neil Druckmann's balls, then there's really no hope to get any type of common ground.
The show did change one of the most egregious decisions made by a couple of characters in the game, and provided a bit more information about others much earlier, so there has been at least some form of forced logic in the creation of the show.
Like, hey Neil, this was really unfathomably stupid how this went down in the game, let's go ahead and give this part the ol rewrite.
If they continue to do this with more of the mind numbingly stupid things that happen, the the show still has a chance to be better than the game was.
The issue the show has now, is you've still just shit on the main character out of left field, and now your story has to be carried by an honestly miscast actress.
Funny enough, the actress cast as Abby is literally the perfect choice to be playing a 19 year old Ellie. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Wallcrawler:
Not really a big deal at all. If pointing out hilariously illogical immersion breaking full reerun decisions in a story being touted as "one of the best stories ever told" is what you consider taking things too seriously you need to lighten up as well.
Poking fun at one of the folks trumpeting this nonsense as great writing by pointing out a few examples of the worst writing weve ever seen, and the doing a bit of admitted trolling by treating his hilarious defenses of said decisions as a non response, isn't really anything to wring your hands over. Its pretty standard CP fare.
However, there appears to be an ever increasing number of CP posters who cannot process a post more than three sentences long, and in this sect is where you'll find the largest number of supporters of this show/game, because it appears to be too much to ask to think about what you've just seen, and reason out if it actually makes sense or not.
Like if you're just full on washing Neil Druckmann's balls, then there's really no hope to get any type of common ground.
The show did change one of the most egregious decisions made by a couple of characters in the game, and provided a bit more information about others much earlier, so there has been at least some form of forced logic in the creation of the show.
Like, hey Neil, this was really unfathomably stupid how this went down in the game, let's go ahead and give this part the ol rewrite.
If they continue to do this with more of the mind numbingly stupid things that happen, the the show still has a chance to be better than the game was.
The issue the show has now, is you've still just shit on the main character out of left field, and now your story has to be carried by an honestly miscast actress.
Funny enough, the actress cast as Abby is literally the perfect choice to be playing a 19 year old Ellie.
