Movies & TV / News

HBO Developing The Last of Us TV Series From Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann

March 5, 2020 | Posted by Jeffrey Harris
The Last of Us HBO Image Credit: Naughty Dog

The Hollywood Reporter has revealed that HBO is developing a new TV series based on the hit Sony PlayStation video game series, The Last of Us. The new show will be written and executive produced by Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and original The Last of Us writer and Creative Director Neil Duckmann.

The project is intended to be a TV series. Carolyn Strauss is also attached to executive produce the show alongside Evan Wells, the president of The Last of Us game developer Naughty Dog. The show will be a co-production between Sony Pictures Television in association with PlayStation Production, and it would be the first TV series from PlayStation Production.

The first game in the franchise debuted in 2013, centering on human survivors trying to brave a post-apocalypse world infected by a deadly pandemic. The main characters for the first game are Joel, a smuggler in the post-apocalyptic world, and Ellie, a teenager who could be the key to finding a cure for pandemic.

Mazin stated on the news, “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.”

Neil Druckmann commented on the announcement, “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. 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.”

HBO Programming President Casey Bloys added, “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.”

A movie based on the hit game franchise has been kicked around Hollywood for years. However, it was never able to materialize. A TV series is arguably a better fit, since it’s less of a financial risk compared to a big-budget movie, and it would arguably have more time to flesh out the world and the characters.

The Naughty Dog Facebook page also stated on the news, “We’re so psyched to be teaming up with HBO to create a new The Last of Us series with Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin at the helm.” You can check out that announcement below. The Last of Us Part II is due out for the PlayStation 4 on May 29.

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HBO, The Last Of Us, Jeffrey Harris