The Last of Us is finally getting a live-action adaptation after a planned movie version was trapped in development hell.
In March 2020, HBO confirmed that an adaptation of the award-winning PlayStation video game was in development from Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin, game creator Neil Druckmann and Game of Thrones executive producer Carolyn Strauss.
Mazin and Druckmann will write the series as well as executive producing it alongside Strauss, Naughty Dog's Evan Wells and PlayStation Productions' Asad Qizilbash and Carter Swan. The pilot episode will be directed by Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov.
"Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own," said Francesca Orsi, Executive VP HBO Programming.
"With them at the helm alongside the incomparable Carolyn Strauss, this series is sure to resonate with both die-hard fans of The Last of Us games and newcomers to this genre-defining saga. We're delighted to partner with Naughty Dog, Word Games, Sony and PlayStation to adapt this epic, powerfully immersive story."
The Last of Us is sure to be another big hit for HBO if it manages to successfully adapt the bestselling video game for the screen, and there's already been some exciting casting confirmed for the key roles of Joel and Ellie.
But while we wait for the series to reach our screens, here's everything you need to know about The Last of Us.
The Last of Us cast: Who's starring in The Last of Us?
Let's get the big news out of the way. The lead roles of Joel and Ellie will be played by The Mandalorian's Pedro Pascal and Game of Thrones star Bella Ramsey.
It was reported that Mahershala Ali (Moonlight) was considered for the role, but a deal was never struck.
We also know that Ellie's friend and love interest Riley, Joel's smuggling partner and friend Tess, Fireflies leader Marlene and Maria will also feature.
Another character who could appear is Joel's brother Tommy.
Druckmann has also been teasing that the TV show will eventually feature Abby, the controversial character introduced in The Last of Us Part II. If you haven't played the games, we'll leave off just why Abby proved so divisive.
There have been no casting rumours yet about who might play the other characters, so it could well be that some roles will be played by the same actors who voiced them in the original game.
However, after Pascal's casting, we know that Troy Baker won't be playing Joel in the TV show, although he has an idea of how he can cameo in the series.
"I would love to be someone who's like, 'By the way, he's an Infected' and I want to be blown up by Joel. That would be the best. Or just the guy who's like Quint in Jaws, just like, 'Oh, you think you're gonna make it out of this? Let me tell you where you're gonna go'," he said on his YouTube channel.
The Last of Us release date: When will The Last of Us premiere?
Filming is set to kick off on July 5 in Calgary (via CBC) and production is scheduled to last until June 8, 2022, which means it probably won't arrive until 2023.
It will air on HBO in the US and while a UK broadcaster has yet to be confirmed, HBO shows typically end up airing on Sky Atlantic.
The Last of Us story: What's The Last of Us about?
With the show's announcement, we got the first official synopsis for the adaptation and (unsurprisingly) it echoes the setup of the game which takes place 20 years after "modern civilisation has been destroyed":
"Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the US and depend on each other for survival."
As fans will know, their journey will see them come face-to-face with terrifying infected creatures and in classic post-apocalyptic fashion, not every human that Joel and Ellie encounter will prove to be friendly.
Ellie also holds a secret that could prove to be vital to humanity's future and if the show closely follows the events of the first game, expect some dramatic reveals and surprising twists.
Some have speculated about whether elements from the second game will feature.
The Hollywood Reporter said that there was the "possibility of additional content based on the forthcoming game sequel [The Last of Us 2]." But Druckmann recently confirmed to IGN that "season one of the show is going to be [the first game]" – which means if all goes well, we should expect future seasons of the show to plot out the entire narrative.
But don't expect it to follow the game to the letter.
Chatting to IGN, Druckmann said: "Things sometimes stay pretty close [to the source material]. It's funny to see my dialogue there from the games in HBO scripts. And sometimes they deviate greatly to much better effect because we are dealing with a different medium.
"For example, in the game, there's so much action you have to have to train the player about mechanics. You have to have more violence and more spectacle to some degree than you would need on a TV show because you don't need to train people on how to use a gun. So that's something that's been really different, and HBO's been great in pushing us to move away from hardcore action and focus more on the drama of the character.
"Some of my favourite episodes so far have deviated greatly from the story, and I can't wait for people to see them."
The Last of Us trailer: Any footage of The Last of Us yet?
Unfortunately, there's no footage to report of at this moment. Keep this page bookmarked for the latest news and we'll let you know as soon as we do.
The Last of Us will air on HBO in the US. A UK broadcaster has yet to be confirmed.
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