HBO Picks Up The Last Of Us For Full TV Series
Ellie is getting ready to draw back her bow as HBO's live-action reimagining of The Last of Us has been given a full series order. Coming from the mind of Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and The Last of Us game director Neil Druckmann, the series will bring Naughty Dog's acclaimed gaming title(s) to life on the small screen. With so much hype surrounding what could be the network's next big hit, it's great news that HBO has fast-tracked the show to a full order.
For those who haven't dropped into this dystopian world before, The Last of Us tells the story of the human race being ravaged by a toxic fungus that turns them into zombified creatures known as the Infected. 2013's first game followed hardened survivor Joel, who takes a young girl called Ellie under his wing to try and survive the apocalypse. This year's sequel once again picks up the story with an older and more grizzled Ellie - also charting this dangerous new world. As with many of these stories, the other survivors are arguably more dangerous than the zombies themselves.
HBO The Last of Us series: What's going on?
Click to enlargeWhile video game adaptations were once maligned box office fodder that failed to climb up the ranks of Rotten Tomatoes, there's been a surge in popularity as the industry is finally turning them around. Previously, the Milla Jovovich-led Resident Evil movie series was the only one that fared reasonably well. Now, The Last of Us joins a live-action reimagining of Resident Evil and the movie version of Uncharted.
Discussing The Last of Us, HBO exec Francesca Orsi said, "Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own. 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".
HBO The Last of Us series: Who's in the cast?
As it stands, we know The Last of Us will definitely follow the events of the first game where Joel watched over a 14-year-old Ellie. It's unclear whether the second game will also play into the plot, however, there's a chance the series could be renewed for more than one outing. Unfortunately, there's no news on who will be joining the show's cast. With it being such a high profile project, it will be interesting to see whether any famous faces will be jumping on board.
Fans have previously suggested Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau alongside Logan's Dafne Keen. Others have taken it one step further and championed a Logan reunion with Hugh Jackman taking the role of Joel. There's been a recent boom in Hollywood A-listers making the move to TV, and you only have to look at HBO's Big Little Lies boasting Nicole Kidman and Meryl Streep to see this in action.
Let's remember how Netflix's The Witcher reinvigorated the idea of video game TV shows and set the precedent for how big The Last of Us series could be. HBO has an impressive track record with delivering epic TV shows that are dubbed some of the best of the modern era. Alongside Game of Thrones and Chernobyl, who could forget Boardwalk Empire and The Sopranos? Even if we don't when we can expect The Last of Us, it's surely set to be a goliath for HBO.
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