Video games do not great adaptations make. Film and TV are littered with attempts to turn hit titles into screen hits, from the sprawling, increasingly terrible Resident Evil series to the mid-2000s low point of Doom. Recent high-brow attempts, such as Alicia Vikander-fronted Tomb Raider and Michael Fassbender’s take on Assassin’s Creed, were strangely joyless, plodding affairs. The latest hoping to make a successful transition is The Last of Us.
The HBO and Sony co-production certainly has a lot going for it. It’s based on a 2013 video game with a compelling storyline (not a pre-requisite of the genre) with a huge following, while a series of intriguing casting announcements have only added to the appeal (hello, Nick Offerman). Apart from fan expectations, the show has a lot riding on it. It’s the first time HBO has adapted a video game, and it’s also rumoured to be the biggest Canadian TV show ever (it was filmed in Calgary).
Thanks to a moody, very cold-looking new teaser (at the 1:40 mark in the video below), we now have our first look at the series and more than a few reasons to be hopeful.
What is The Last of Us about?
The Last of Us takes place in a post-apocalyptic America, after a disease outbreak – we know, we know – has ravaged the population. Before you say "too soon, HBO", this virus was caused by a mutated fungus. It also turns people into angry, zombie-like creatures.
Two decades after the virus reached critical mass, known as Outbreak Day, a hardened and more than a little traumatised Joel takes on a job to smuggle a teenage girl called Ellie out of a quarantine zone. It soon becomes clear that there’s something special about Ellie – and her immunity to the infection may make her the key to humanity’s survival.
Will The Last of Us differ from the video game?
Everyone involved, from the show’s writers to actors, has stressed that the series will deviate from the source material, which serves as an advance warning to fans ready to cry, “this wasn’t in the game.”
A few things set the video game apart from your standard action-adventure game, and they're likely to be the qualities that set this adaptation apart too. The wide cast of characters and intertwining stories touch on themes like companionship, grief and what it means to be a survivor. The series, and its 2020 follow-up, has also been praised for its approach to LGBT storylines.
The game’s visual and sound design, from shots of abandoned America to sweeping mountain landscapes, helped to solidify it as a modern classic. From the teaser’s glimpses of snow-covered bridges and neon-soaked city streets, that striking aesthetic looks like to be a focus of the show too.
![los angeles, california november 13 pedro pascal attends the premiere of disneys the mandalorian at el capitan theatre on november 13, 2019 in los angeles, california photo by rodin eckenrothfilmmagic](https://hips.hearstapps.com/hmg-prod/images/gettyimages-1661174893.jpg?resize=980:* "Premiere Of Disney+'s "The Mandalorian" - Arrivals")
Who’s in The Last of Us?
But perhaps the most promising aspect of The Last of Us is its seriously stacked cast. Pedro Pascal (he's leading Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian and came to an infamously gruesome end on Game of Thrones) stars as Joel. Bella Ramsey, another Thrones alum, joins as his 14-year-old companion Ellie. It’s going to be a busy period for Ramsey, as she’s also heading up Lena Dunham’s new Amazon film, the medieval comedy Catherine Called Birdy. Gabriel Luna rounds out the top three as Joel’s little brother, Tommy.
Storm Reid (who plays Zendaya’s little sister on Euphoria) appears as Riley, an orphan in Boston, while Mindhunter’s Anna Torv stars as Tess, Joel’s fellow smuggler. We’re most excited by the double act of Nick Offerman (Parks and Recreation’s government-hating government worker Ron Swanson) and Murray Bartlett (last seen herding insufferable hotel guests on The White Lotus), who play isolated survivalists and maybe-lovers Bill and Frank.
Who else is involved?
All these characters are so beloved that they’ve inspired not one but two failed film projects. A Sam Raimi joint was initially developed but stalled in development. An animated version, which intended to serve as bridge between the first game and its sequel, was also dropped.
A small-screen ethos may help HBO succeed where those projects failed. Comprising ten episodes, the show has been co-written by Chernobyl’s Craig Mazin and the game’s original writer Neil Druckmann. The latter has made it clear that the TV is the best format for an adaptation – imbuing it with indie sensibilities, rather than action-packed tropes.
“Let’s approach it as an indie film,” Druckmann told the Script Apart podcast. “The way it’s shot, the way how small and intimate it feels. And with the show we get to lean into that even more because we don’t have to have as many action sequences as we do in the game.”
With that mindset, this may be the first video game adaptation destined for the Emmys rather than an end-of-year list of worst TV shows.
Is there a release date for The Last of Us?
The Last of Us will air on HBO in the US on 15 January, and in the UK on Sky Atlantic and NOW on 16 January. There will be nine episodes in the first season.
Is there a trailer for The Last of Us?
HBO has now released a longer teaser trailer for The Last of Us, giving us the first proper look at this moody, post-apocalyptic world. The mix of action, inventive scenery and plenty of faithful references to the source material has gone down a treat with fans. Here's hoping HBO can deliver come 2023.
Henry Wong is a senior culture writer at Esquire, working across digital and print. He covers film, television, books, and art for the magazine, and also writes profiles.
