Now that The Last of Us is an HBO series, fans have a lot of questions,
like how similar will it be to the plot of the game, and more importantly,
when will it be released? Well, we've got answers. Here's everything you need to know.
First thing people want to know is: Is there a trailer? Yep,
and a short teaser. The teaser for The Last of Us dropped on September 26,
and it was a doozy. Set to "Alone and Forsaken" by Hank Williams, we see Joel as a hardened man,
living in a world we can't imagine. Ellie appears scared yet strong, and we see the duo getting
paired up as they journey across the country, in addition to a shot of the dreaded clicker.
"Save who you can save."
The official trailer dropped December 3, 2022, set to a haunting remix of A-ha's
"Take on Me." This one digs deeper into Joel and Ellie's complicated relationship and ends
with a terrifying shot of the bloater. In short, both previews prove The Last of Us will get dark
quickly and stay very loyal to the game, which has accrued a fandom of dedicated players.
As for a release date, HBO Max confirmed on Instagram that The Last of Us is dropping
on January 15, 2023. The streamer's hands were somewhat tied, after they accidentally leaked
the date on November 1, 2022. HBO Max features a one-minute sneak peek of the series, which
mentioned the release date in its description, but shortly after the news spread, the date was
deleted. Less than 24 hours later, the streaming giant officially released the January 15th date
to the world. The series will have nine episodes and air on HBO at 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time.
Now here's the big question everyone wants answered: What is the plot of the show? Well,
seeing as The Last of Us is based on the immensely popular video games of the same name,
the plot is pretty well-known at this point. With four current games in its franchise,
The Last of Us is full of stories that can substantiate multiple seasons of the HBO
series. According to Variety, the drama will cover the events of the 2013 introductory game
and possibly some of the most recent — 2022's The Last of Us Part II. HBO released a brief
synopsis of the series, which aligns with what we know about the games. The synopsis reads:
HBO also clarified these events would take place 20 years after the
destruction of modern civilization. As for the stars of the series,
The Last of Us is led by Pedro Pascal, who plays the tough and brooding Joel. Meanwhile,
Bella Ramsey stars as young Ellie. The pair are "found family" and will
see and experience things fans of the game likely dread watching play out on screen.
"I'm not family?"
"No. You're cargo."
Gabriel Luna also stars in the drama as Tommy,
Joel's former soldier-brother. Merle Dandridge will also appear as Fireflies leader Marlene.
Also on the cast is Anna Torv, playing Tess, another survivor of the pandemic.
HBO also notes the series will have a handful of guest stars, including Nick Offerman and
Murray Bartlett, who are survivors far removed from the terror living in a remote town. Nico
Parker will play Joel's teenage daughter Sarah while Storm Reid appears as Riley,
Ellie's Bostonian best friend. According to Collider, the HBO series will also feature
actors from the Last of Us game itself — most notably Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson,
who originated the roles now played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey.
Finally, fans of The Last of Us video game franchise should have one final reason to be
excited because Emmy-winner Craig Mazin serves as the showrunner for the new series. Mazin was also
the showrunner of the widely praised Chernobyl limited series, proving he has what it takes to
handle a high-stakes HBO project. Mazin also wrote the story alongside Neil Druckmann,
the creative director of The Last of Us video games. Druckmann will also executive produce.