HBO’s series adaptation of the Sony Playstation game ‘The Last of Us’ will incorporate elements designed for the game but never used, according to producer Craig Mazin (‘Chernobyl’). Mazin is collaborating closely with game director Neil Druckmann, who has been filling him in on some lost nuggets that will finally find their way into the ‘Last of Us’ universe.
Speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Mazin teased:
“Neil, at one point, he’s like, ‘You know, there was one thing we were talking about for a while,’ and then he told me what it was. I was like, ‘Well, that’s going in. You couldn’t stop me from doing that.’ So we’re doing that. And there’s quite a few things like that where it’s not like, ‘Oh, we just decided, oh, wouldn’t it be cool if there was one episode where Joel and Ellie get on motorcycles and confront a motorcycle gang?’ That’s not what we do. There’s no episodic nonsense here. This is all pretty much curated. The things that are new and enhancing of the storyline we’re doing are connected in organic, serious ways that fans and newcomers alike will appreciate.”
‘The Last of Us’ is a post-apocalyptic shooter game, in which two humans, a smuggler named Joel, and a teenage girl named Ellie, must survive after the world has been decimated by the Cordyceps fungus, which turned most of humanity into flesh-eating monsters. It is one of the best-selling video games of all time, having moved 1.3 million units in its first week, and over 17 million to date.
Partially delayed by COVID-19, a sequel, ‘The Last of Us II’ was finally released in June. It sold over four million copies in its first weekend and received mostly glowing professional reviews. However, debate over the sequel quickly turned toxic online, centering on a new playable character named Abby. But… that’s the sequel, and the show will focus on the first game, at least at first. (Translation: I am not climbing into that vat of mud.)
Check back for updates on the HBO series as they become available.
