There’s a The Last of Us series in the works at HBO, if you didn’t see the news. How cool is that, right? Very cool.
Craig Mazin, creator of HBO’s Chernobyl, and Neil Druckmann, creative director of TLOU, are penning the HBO series as it stands. Evan Wells, President of Naughty Dog, is also set to be an executive producer. Of course, there are high expectations for HBO’s The Last of Us Series. The game was incredible, topping many “best games of the decade” lists, including a third-place spot on our own.
What’s HBO’s The Last of Us Series based on?
If you’re unaware, The Last of Us is a post-apocalyptic masterpiece that follows Joel and Ellie. Joel is a smuggler who is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year old girl, out of a quarantine zone. It seems like a simple task, but, of course, things don’t go to plan. What follows is an emotionally-driven journey across a decaying America in which the two rely on each other for survival. Here’s a link to the Wikipedia article on TLOU, which gives a much more detailed look at the plot. However, I would recommend playing the game to anyone who hasn’t.
Hollywood Reporter has stated that the HBO series will cover the events of the original game but does not specify whether this is necessarily from Joel and Ellie’s perspective or not. Chances are that it will be, though, because… Well, it’s a fantastic story.
Both Mazin and Druckmann have praised one another’s commitment to their work. Mazin has labeled Druckmann “the finest storyteller working in the video game medium.”
Druckmann’s also a fan of their pairing. He’s “blown away by his approach to narrative and his love and deep understanding of The Last of Us.”
The HBO adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us will, with any luck, be out at some point in the foreseeable future. So far, the announcement has been enough to drive TLOU fan excitement with casting speculations and plot theories.
Who do you think should be The Last of Us?
Hugh Jackman is the name that everyone (on the internet, anyway) is talking about. I put no shame in professing my love for Hugh Jackman on a daily basis, but this makes even more sense given the parallels between The Last of Us and Logan. Nerdist have also put Oscar Isaac forward as an option, suggesting Dafne Keen play Ellie.
Digital artist BossLogic has put forward Chris Evans and McKenna Grace as the pair. Popular for his fan art, he has done this by altering a movie poster for 2017’s Gifted.
The internet’s other most-popular picks are Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Joel Edgerton as Joel, and Ellen Page and Jessica Barden as Ellie.
If I was in charge of casting The Last of Us, I would look to Nikolaj Coster-Waldau to play Joel. I like Hugh Jackman, don’t get me wrong, but Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has perfected his portrayal of being both villainous and likeable through his portrayal as Jamie Lannister. This, arguably, plays well for Joel in TLOU. Throughout the plot, he isn’t always seen as the “good guy”.
For Ellie, I would argue Sadie Sink would make an excellent candidate. She plays Max in Stranger Things, if the name doesn’t ring any bells. What makes Ellie’s character so compelling is that she is never the victim, despite her circumstances. She’s driven, self-assured, and full of wit. Sadie has shown she can handle this kind of acting with scene-stealing performances in the Netflix original and would fit perfectly into the role.
The Last of Us? The First Of Many…
Chris Parnell, of Sony Pictures Television, also says that “this is the first of many shows we intend to develop with our friends at PlayStation Productions.” With that in mind, what other PlayStation titles would you want to see adapted as a TV series?
Personally, while I absolutely adore both God of War, I think a show set in the world of Horizon: Zero Dawn would be fantastic. Keep an eye on the Gamezo Twitter for more of the latest gaming news.
Information taken from Gamespot, Hollywood Reporter, Nerdist, and The Independent.
