It's something nobody expected, and yet it's true — fans of The Last of Us see their favorite game adapted for television, in the form of a series broadcast on HBO.
The news came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, since there had been no rumors about a potential TV show previously. A few months before the release of the sequel to the hit PlayStation exclusive (due to be released on May 29 after a delay), it appears Naughty Dog still have a few surprises up their sleeves.
The series will be written and produced by Craig Mazin — the creator of smash hit Chernobyl — and by Neil Druckmann himself. The writer and creative director of the game series will work with Mazin directly to bring to life an adaptation of the PlayStation masterpiece. This is something new for video game adaptations, and gives hope that the show could be just as good as the game.
At the moment we have no other information regarding a release date, or even if the series is already in production. Nevertheless, fans haven't held back from giving their casting proposals on social networks.
Many fans would like to see Nikolaj Coster-Waldau — who played Jaime Lannister in Game of Thrones until recently on HBO — as Joel. It's a choice that could match even another name being touted — Hugh Jackman, especially with regard to his interpretation of Logan.
As for Ellie, the young American actress Kaitlyn Dever — whom you may have seen in Booksmart — stands out. She's already part of the Naughty Dog family, given she lent her voice and motion capture to Cassie Drake, the daughter of Nathan Drake and Elena Fisher, in Uncharted 4: A Thief's End.
In any case, we can be reassured about the partnership between the two artistic directors:
"Neil Druckmann is without question the finest storyteller working in the video game medium, and The Last of Us is his magnum opus" — Craig Mazin
"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." — Neil Druckmann
We'll keep you updated as soon as we have more information, and don't forget that in the meantime The Last of Us Part II will be released on PS4 on May 29 — enough to wait comfortably.
The Last of Us 2 release date trailer for PlayStation 4 was revealed during Sony's State of Play broadcast on September 24. Naughty Dog has delighted us with the three-minute video, showing Ellie and marking Joel's comeback. But what else the trailer reveal?
