‘Chernobyl’s’ Craig Mazin is writing the show with the mega-selling video game’s creative director, Neil Druckmann.
HBO is pressing play on a series adaptation of The Last of Us.
The premium cable outlet has picked up the drama based on the hugely popular video game franchise from Craig Mazin (Chernobyl) and the game’s writer and creative director, Neil Druckmann. HBO and Sony Pictures TV are producing along with PlayStation Productions, Word Games and game developer Naughty Dog.
“Craig and Neil are visionaries in a league of their own,” said HBO Programming executive vp Francesca Orsi. “With them at the helm alongside the incomparable 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.”
The Last of Us series is set 20 years after the destruction of modern civilization. It centers on Joel, a hardened survivor of the apocaplypse, who’s hired to smuggle a 14-year-old girl named Ellie out of an oppressive quarantine zone. The seemingly small job becomes a brutal journey as they come to depend on each other for survival.
“We’re thrilled to be working with HBO and this fantastic creative team to bring ‘The Last of Us’ series to life,” said 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.”
HBO put The Last of Us into development in March. It’s the latest video game franchise to get the premium cable treatment. Showtime is also at work on a series based on Halo, which is due to premiere sometime next year.
Mazin and Druckmann executive produce The Last of Us with Carolyn Strauss (Chernobyl, Game of Thrones), Naughty Dog’s Evan Wells and PlayStation Productions’ Qizilbash and Carter Swan. Johan Renck (Chernobyl) is set to direct the pilot.