HBO’s upcoming TV adaptation of The Last of Us just took a big step forward in actually happening: the network has given the show a series order, with series creator Neil Druckmann working as both a writer and executive producer alongside Craig Mazin (Chernobyl). HBO’s Carolyn Strauss, who executive produced both Game of Thrones and Chernobyl, will also serve as an executive producer on The Last of Us.
Per the official synopsis, the TV series seems to be adapting the first game in the series: “The story takes place twenty years after modern civilization 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 U.S. and depend on each other for survival.”
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While the world of video game adaptions is littered with failures, a big HBO adaptation of one of the most acclaimed video game stories in recent memory — complete with the original game’s writer and creative director on board — seems like it might have a shot at actually succeeding in translating the game to television.
All that said, The Last of Us is still in the early stages, with no casting details or a release window yet, so it’ll likely be some time before Joe and Ellie’s story actually makes the jump to live action.
The Last of Us isn’t the only big-budget Sony game adaptation in the works. Sony’s PlayStation Productions studio is also in the middle of production on its long-awaited adaptation of the Uncharted series, which will star Tom Holland and is set to hit theaters in 2021.
