The Last of Us is set to become a TV series on HBO.

After years of whispers and rumours, the news was finally confirmed last week that The Last of Us will be adapted into a TV show, with HBO set to produce an eight-part series based on the hugely popular video game. The Last of Us was first released on the PlayStation 3 console and became an immediate global sensation, lauded for its high-level storytelling and involved plot.
The Last of Us is one of the best-selling PlayStation 3 games, and Remastered is among the best-selling PlayStation 4 games. To date, it has sold more than 17 million copies across both consoles.

The video games enduring popularity combined with the enormous success of The Last of Us 2 made the TV adaption a no brainer. The series will be based on the hit Sony Playstation action game series from developer Naughty Dog.

What’s it all about?

On the surface, The Last of Us is your classic post-apocalyptic zombie story. A mind-controlling fungus has infected most people on earth, turning them into violent cannibals desperate for blood. But beyond that, The Last of Us is a story about resilience and the strength of the human spirit.

The Last of Us focuses on the relationship between Joel, a smuggler and Ellie, a teenager. Joel has been paid to escort Ellie across the United States safely. The game is set 20 years after the destruction of society.

Who will star in The Last of Us?

Given that The Last of Us is coming to HBO, we can expect substantial star power to be involved in this adaption.

Last week it was announced that The Mandalorian star Pedro Pascal is set to play Joel. Pascal has a solid TV-CV having played Oberyn Martell on the fourth season of the HBO fantasy series Game of Thrones and Javier Peña on Narcos.

The 45-year-old will star alongside fellow GOT alumni, Bella Ramsey who played Lyanna Mormont in the HBO show.

What else?

The Last of Us HBO series will be co-written by Naughty Dog’s Neil Druckmann, who served as the creative director for both games. Druckmann will work alongside Craig Mazin, who was the brainpower behind HBO’s hit 2019 mini-series Chernobyl. Both will also serve as executive producers and Carolyn Strauss, who previously served in that same role on HBO’s fantasy hit Game of Thrones.

When will The Last of Us arrive on HBO?

At this stage, it looks like The Last of Us will premiere in 2022 with HBO heading into preproduction shortly.