According to The Hollywood Reporter, HBO and Sony Pictures Television are teaming up to develop a series adaptation of The Last of Us, based on PlayStation’s popular survival horror video game of the same name. The project will mark PlayStation Productions’ first television series with award-winning Chernobyl creator Craig Muzin set to pen the adaptation alongside Neil Druckmann.
I can’t believe we get to team up with one of my favorite writers to bring Ellie and Joel’s journey to HBO. https://t.co/GNsl0sUVSK
— Neil Druckmann (@Neil_Druckmann) March 5, 2020
“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,” HBO programming president Casey Bloys said in statement.
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The Last of Us is an action-adventure survival horror video game that is played from a third-person perspective. It was developed by the Santa Monica-based video game developer Naughty Dog, who is also best known for creating the Uncharted games. It was first launched in 2013 for PlayStation 3 and in 2014 for PlayStation 4 where it immediately garnered critical acclaim for its narrative, gameplay, visuals, sound design, and characters.
The game follows hardened survivor Joel and Ellie, a young and capable girl, on their journey through a radically transformed world. Set twenty years after an infectious pandemic spread by the cordyceps virus ravaged the course of humanity, these two people, who were brought together by chance, must make life-altering decisions in order to survive. The Last of Us explores themes of survival, loyalty, love, and redemption in an emotionally charged expedition across the post-epidemic United States.
Due to its immense popularity, The Last of Us has sold over 17 million copies and had successfully won numerous awards including multiple Game of the Year awards. Nearly 7 years since its launch, the video game is currently being recognized as one of the greatest video games ever made. The long-in-development sequel of the game The Last of Us Part II is set for release on May 29.
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“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.” Mazin said.
“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,” Druckmann said. “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.”
The Last of Us series adaptation will be tackling the events of the first game with the possibility of additional content based on the upcoming video game sequel. It will be co-written by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, who is the game’s writer and creative director. Mazin will executive produce along with Carolyn Strauss and Naughty Dog president Evan Wells. The project is a co-production with Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Productions.
