The Last of Us series is my favorite video game franchise of all time.
That’s right, it wins over classics like Uncharted, Legend of Zelda, and even Mario, because I absolutely adore the story, the characters, the graphics, everything. So you better believe that when I heard this fantastic game was going to be developed into a show on HBO, me and a few others were psyched.
While there are plenty of other video games that should be adapted into TV shows, The Last of Us is a great start to that with its beautiful settings, enthralling character arcs and scary-ass zombies. But, even so, one might be wondering what exactly this show is going to be about if you haven’t played the game, or who will star.
Look no further, as these are six quick things we know about HBO's upcoming The Last of Us TV show.
The Last Of Us TV Show Will Air On January 15th, 2023
I know, we were all hoping it would come out this year, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for The Last of Us to hit our TV screens. However, we won’t need to wait too long, as we can confirm from Deadline that The Last of Us TV show is set to come out on January 15, 2023.
Unfortunately, it won’t be on any 2022 TV premiere schedule, but at this time, we can look forward to next year, because the 2023 TV schedule is going to be packed with awesome stuff this early in the year.
Watch The Official Trailer For The Last Of Us
When it comes to video game adaptations, sometimes the trailer can let me down, but judging from this official trailer of The Last of Us, I have a feeling it is going to be out of this world. From the shots we see that are nearly identical to the game to the bonding that is already being shown between Joel and Ellie, this trailer has me excited to see this show.
The First Season Will Contain Nine Episodes
While we’d all like these shows to last as long as possible, The Last of Us is only going to have nine episodes. At first, Craig Mazen, who was one of the main writers for another popular HBO series, Chernobyl, confirmed the episode count would be ten on the podcast, Scriptnotes, but via the Deadline article above, it was announced that the show would only have nine episodes.
Neil Druckmann, The Creator Of The Game, Is Serving As An Executive Producer
Neil Druckmann is actually the main man behind The Last of Us, originally. He co-created and wrote the story that won several awards. With that in mind, it’s great to see that Druckmann's working very closely with this adaptation, serving as an executive producer for the show.
Druckmann has also directed at least one episode, according to Comicbook.com. It’s unclear as to what episode he helmed, but it’s awesome to see him return to form and guide the story that I’ve held so dear to my heart for so long.
Alongside Druckmann are several directors, according to Collider. These include Jeremy Webb, Liza Johnson, Peter Hoar, Jasmila Zbanic, Kantemir Balagov, and more.
Season 1 Is Going To Adapt The First Game - With Deviations
If you don’t know, there are two games in The Last of Us series, at least so far. The first game follows Joel and Ellie’s journey as they travel across the United States to deliver her to the Fireflies, an organization that is working on a supposed cure to the virus. The second game takes place several years later, this time mainly following Ellie on a mission of revenge.
The first season of the HBO series, as confirmed by Neil Druckmann to IGN, will follow the first game - with some deviations, however, due to there being so much more availability to tell a full story now.
Things sometimes stay pretty close…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
As someone who was a huge fan of the story that Druckmann produced for both games, I trust his and Mazin’s process to come up with a truly incredible tale for television.
Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, And More Will Star
In 2021, The Hollywood Reporter originally confirmed that Bella Ramsey was tapped to play the role of Ellie, the fourteen-year-old girl whom Joel is transporting.
Ramsey, known mainly for her breakout role as Lyanna Mormont in Game of Thrones, is a great choice for the character, as Ellie is a feisty young woman who knows her way around a weapon - much like Lyanna.
However, you can’t have Ellie without Joel, and he will be played by Pedro Pascal, according to another THR story. If that name sounds familiar, Pascal is mostly known for playing the role of Din Djarin, the lead character in the fantastic Disney+ show, The Mandalorian, but he was also a part of the Game of Thrones cast during Season 4.
Several other lead characters have been announced as well. According to Variety, playing Billy, an old acquaintance of Joel's who appears around the beginning of The Last of Us, is Nick Offerman, better known for his role as Ron Swanson from the Parks and Recreation cast.
In addition to this, according to Entertainment Weekly, Anna Torv will take on the role of Tess, another pivotal role from the beginning of the game. Nico Parker will play Joel’s Daughter, Sarah, according to Deadline. In even better news, THR notes that the actress who portrayed Marlene in the original game, Merle Dandridge, is set to reprise the role in the live-action series.
Also something to look forward to, according to the Deadline article regarding the premiere date, is that the original voice actors behind Ellie and Joel from the game, Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker, will also appear in the show. According to Entertainment Weekly, Johnson is set to play Anna, a pregnant woman who has to give birth (and for game fans, people will know Anna is actually Ellie’s mother). Baker is set to play James, a member of a group of settlers that Ellie and Joel run into.
There have been several other stars that have been announced and confirmed by HBO that we have covered in our cast list for The Last of Us, so if you want to get a full look at everyone who’s going to be in it, be sure to check it out.
The Composer For The Game Is Returning To Score The Show
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve listened to the soundtrack from The Last of Us. There’s just something about the heavy use of guitars or the chilling ambiance that every single song sends to my ears each time I listen. And, thankfully, The Last of Us series won’t be deviating far from that.
Druckmann confirmed on Twitter that the composer for the games, Gustavo Santaolalla, will be providing the score for the series:
Well this is exciting! Beyond lending his incredible musical talent to The Last Of Us Part II, Gustavo Santaolalla is joining us to bring over The Last Of Us to HBO!
The moment this series drops, I’m downloading that score in an instant. Just watch me. If you’re curious, be sure to check out The Last of Us soundtrack on Spotify.
With so many amazing names signed on and a team that’s clearly passionate about the game, I’m sure that The Last of Us series is going to be stupendously awesome from start to finish, and I, for one, can’t wait to see it.
