Joel and Ellie are finally making their way to HBO. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the network has officially picked up its long-gestating adaptation of Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us.
Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin is writing and executive producing the adaptation with Naughty Dog VP Neil Druckmann, who wrote and co-directed the original video game. Previously, Chernobyl director Johan Renck also signed on to direct the series’ pilot episode.
Francesca Orsi, executive vice president of HBO Programming, announced the news in a press release earlier today. She also shared her excitement to see what Mazin and Druckmann come up with. Plus, she promised that viewers won’t be disappointed.
“Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own,” said Orsi. “With them at the helm alongside the incomparable [executive producer] 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.”
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“We’re thrilled to be working with HBO and this fantastic creative team to bring The Last of Us series to life,” added Sony Pictures TV Studios president Jeff Frost and PlayStation Productions head Asad Qizilbash. “PlayStation’s innovative storytelling and ingenuity is a natural complement to SPT’s creative focus. Our collaboration is a great example of our ‘One Sony’ philosophy at work. We look forward to developing even more iconic game IP in the future.”
Earlier this year, Naughty Dog continued Joel and Ellie’s story with The Last of Us Part II, which picks up five years after the first game. Druckmann returned as the sequel’s co-director and also wrote the story alongside Halley Gross. The sequel earned rave reviews from critics and earlier this week, it scored 10 nominations at this year’s Game Awards, including Game of the Year.
HBO has yet to set a premiere date for The Last of Us.
Are you happy to hear that the network is officially moving forward with the series? Let us know in the comment section below!
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