The Last Of Us (2013) and its sequel (2020) are two of the most popular video games of recent times, adored by critics and fans alike. Now work is underway on transferring the hit franchise to the small screen. Even though it is still early in development, HBO’s adaptation of the popular video game series The Last of Us is starting to sound very promising.
The Last Of Us Story
The Last of Us game is set twenty years after a pandemic has swept across the United States. The majority of the population has been infected by a mind-controlling fungus that has turned them into violent creatures called the infected. However, The Last of Us isn’t your traditional zombie story by any sense of the word. The TV show seems set to follow roughly the same story as the game. The game follows smuggler Joel and teenager Ellie, who are brought together to undertake a vital journey to save humanity. On their journey, they must rely on each other, not just to survive but also to let go of the past.
The Last Of Us Show
Craig Mazin, who also created the astonishing mini-series Chernobyl, will act as showrunner. What was so great about The Last of Us series was that it had soul. Much of that came from the superb ability of Neil Druckmann, who’s writing within the series was arguably some of the best to appear within a video game. Druckmann will be involved with the writing of the show, which gives me hope that it will do the source material justice.
There has been limited casting news so far, but it was revealed last week who will be playing Joel and Ellie. Joel will be played by your favourite Mandalorian Pedro Pascal, and Ellie will be played by Bella Ramsey. Even though the pair never appeared on screen together, they both appeared in Game of Thrones (Pascal played Oberyn Martell and Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont).
Even though this casting choice has received mainly positive feedback, some have felt a little disappointed. Many wanted Game of Thrones star Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to play Joel and I do think he would have done great justice to the character. However, how many times have fans been wrong before on casting choices? Too many to count. I personally think these casting choices are very well suited and I am looking forward to seeing their interpretation of the titular pair.
What excites me the most about the show though is that Oscar winner Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed the stellar soundtrack for both The Last of Us and The Last of Us Part II, has also joined the project. His soundtrack is what really encapsulated my own personal gaming experience and helped create the beautiful haunted world.
The Last Of Us Release
So far, there is no official release date of The Last of Us TV series, but HBO plans to air the series in late 2021 or early 2022. Personally, I hope it is the latter, as it gives them time to properly bring this world to life, and not rush it like the final two series of Game of Thrones. Also, it gives those who are unfamiliar with The Last of Us time to experience the games. From what we know so far, The Last of Us TV series could be one of the best programmes in years and could help revitalise the post-apocalyptic genre which is starting to feel a bit stagnant.
Get ready for the show by playing the games –
Buy The Last Of Us Amazon US | Amazon UK
Buy The Last Of Us Part II Amazon US | Amazon UK
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