Hollywood has adapted video games for decades, but the execution has always been decidedly mixed at best. HBO Max hopes to change that for good and has grand ambitions with the Naughty Dog/Sony PlayStation original video game franchise “The Last of Us.” The prestige cable company is hoping for a more compelling and adult experience for audiences by adding terrific behind-the-camera talent, a group of seasoned actors, and placing them in this harsh post-apocalypse landscape that will fuel a dramatic story. Given that “The Last of Us” has been long hailed for its narrative and character work, primarily using motion capture for performances, what we’ve seen so far from “The Last Of Us” looks like a much more intense and real survival series, instead of the shlockier version, like “The Walking Dead.”
A brand-new trailer dropped online during the CCXP22 panel in São Paulo, Brazil, where many studios, streamers, and cable companies, are showing off their most significant pieces of genre I.P. This new footage showcases more of the characters and the threats that Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey), the main protagonists, will encounter on their dangerous journey across a world where a virus has created infected humans called Clickers that are attracted to sound.
“The Last of Us” is written and executive produced by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckman; the latter was the creative force behind the video games, the former, the Emmy-winning writer-producer of HBO’s acclaimed series “Chernobyl,” which bodes well.
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The cast assembled for “The Last of Us” consists of Pedro Pascal, Bella Ramsey, Gabriel Luna as Tommy, Anna Torv as Tess, Nico Parker as Sarah, Murray Bartlett as Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley, Merle Dandridge as Marlene, Jeffrey Pierce as Perry, Lamar Johnson as Henry, Keivonn Woodard as Sam, Graham Greene as Marlon, and Elaine Miles as Florence. Ashley Johnson and Troy Baker will also have roles.
HBO Max has also provided the following plot synopsis for the series:
“The Last of Us” takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
The show will begin airing on HBO and will be able to stream on HBO Max when it premieres on January 15. You can watch that new trailer below.