HBO andChernobylproducer Craig Mazin are re-teaming to develop a live-action show based on Naughty Dog’sThe Last of Usvideo game series. Now, Mazin has hinted at what to expect from the television adaptation and teased the inclusion of a moment that was cut from the original TheLast of Usgame.
Developed for the PlayStation 3 under the leadership of creative director and writer Neil Druckmann,The Last of Ustransported players to a post-apocalyptic world devasted by a disease that transforms the infected into cannibalistic creatures. The gameplay story centered on a 14-year-old girl named Ellie and the bond she develops with a smuggler named Joel, who had been hired to escort her out of a quarantine zone because she may hold the answers to finding a cure to the disease. The game was released to critical acclaim and sold over 1.3 million units within the first seven days of its debut, eventually leading to the development of a sequel that wassubject to some controversyupon its release but was well-received, overall.
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During an interview with BBC’sMust Watch, Mazin explained that the intention is for the show to combine new material with re-imagined moments from bothThe Last of Usgames. “Our goal is not tokeepyou in love withThe Last of Usbut to make you fall in love with it again in a different way. It’s a passive way of taking it in, instead of playing it, but you’ll be experiencing more, with more characters in more ways. I think we’ve got something good going,” he said, expanding oncomments he made earlier in August. Mazin added that the team behindThe Last of Usseries does not intend to desecrate what fans love about the games, saying, “if you have played the game, our intention is that you will watch the show and say ‘this has violated nothing of what I loved about the game, and what I witnessed in the game, but it has also brought me a whole lot more - things I did not know, really amazing things’.”
Although Mazin did not provide details on precisely what will be re-imagined from the games, he did hint at the inclusion of an idea Druckman had told him was omitted from the originalThe Last of Usgamewhile the two were working on the series' story. “Jaw drop - that’s going in. For sure, we have to do that. You couldn’t stop me doing that. You will have to shoot me [to stop me] from doing that. And there were a few things like that,” Mazin said of his reaction to Druckman’s idea. Mazin added that the television format is more suitable forThe Last of Usthan a feature film because a series will allow them to explore Ellie and Joel’s relationship in the same depth as the games, saying, “the joy of a story likeThe Last of Usis in its length. It’s a journey, a slow creation of a relationship. We understand inherently that relationships earned over time are more precious and more deserving defense. So it had to be in this format.”
Craig Mazin has already proven himself to many whopraised his work on HBO’sChernobyl,a miniseries that centered on the events during and after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster of 1986. The miniseries went on the earn a number of accolades, including wins in the Best Miniseries or Television Film categories at both the Emmy’s and Golden Globes.
Of course, to many, the behind-the-scenes workings ofThe Last of Usseries are not the number one concern. Ever since the HBO adaptation was announced, fans have arguably been focused onwho should play the roles of Ellie and Joel.
The Last of Us IIis now available on PS4
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