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'The Last of Us': Is the new HBO post apocalyptic show based on a video game series?

'I’m a huge fan of the game. I played it when it came out in 2013,' said Craig Mazin

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Everyone is waiting with bated breath for HBO's upcoming brand-new post-apocalyptic drama television series created by Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann. The series stars, the man, the myth, and the legend, Pedro Pascal, who has boggled the audience's mind with every character he has ever played. Pascal will play Joel. That is not all, along with Pascal, the audience also will see Bella Ramsey as Ellie. The Mazin and Druckmann written series will also feature Gabriel Luna as Joel's younger brother Tommy, Merle Dandridge as resistance leader Marlene, and Anna Torv as Joel's smuggler partner Tess.

However, reviews are already passed by critics although the series is set to debut on January 15, 2023. It received acclaim from critics, who praised the performances, writing, production design, and score. 'The Last of Us' takes place 20 years after the current civilization is obliterated. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a teenager, out of a quarantine zone. What starts as a  job soon becomes a brutal journey as they both must traverse the country and depend on each other for survival. In case, you are wondering if the HBO project is adapted from a game or not, scroll down to find out. 

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Is 'The Last of Us' based on a video game series?

Let's cut to the chase, 'The Last of Us,' is said to be the largest television production at least in Canadian history. It was filmed in Alberta from July 2021 to June 2022. It also happens to be the first HBO series that is based on a 2013's PS video game and is a joint production by Sony Pictures Television, PlayStation Productions, Naughty Dog, The Mighty Mint, and Word Games. According to recent reports, it is confirmed that the first season will consist of nine episodes. Druckmann, who is the co-creator of the HBO series also wrote and co-directed the game. 

Speaking of the game, 'The Last of Us' is a 2013 action-adventure game developed by the producer of the upcoming HBO series, Naughty Dog, while another producer which happens to be Sony Computer Entertainment, was behind publishing the game. In the multiplayer video game, players control Joel, a smuggler tasked with escorting a teenage girl, Ellie, across the post-apocalyptic state of the country. There is no need for rocket science to understand that 'The Last of Us' is played from a third-person perspective. Players use firearms and improvised weapons and can use stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures infected by a mutated fungus in the genus Cordyceps. In the online multiplayer mode, there can be up to eight players who can engage in cooperative and competitive gameplay.

The game won year-end accolades, including multiple Game of the Year awards, from several gaming publications, critics, and game award ceremonies. It has been cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. After it was initially released, reviewers praised the game for the character development, story and subtext, visual and sound design, and depiction of female and LGBT characters. It is also considered to be one of the most significant seventh-generation video games.

Furthermore, after the recent reviews before the release of the series, several considered it among the best live-action video game adaptations. According to New York Post, Mazin who helmed the new dystopian series recently revealed how he played the game when it was initially released.

He said, “I’m a huge fan of the game. I played it when it came out in 2013. For video games, it’s always nice to see a situation where nobody has any metaphysical or supernatural powers."

“The storyline … came down to this one relationship. It just felt like there was a TV show in there, trying to get out,” he said. “But I thought, ‘Whoever this [game creator] Neil Druckmann guy is, he’s never going to let me near it!’  Years later, I did ‘Chernobyl’ and I’m looking around to find out what my next thing is. Neil [Druckmann] watched ‘Chernobyl’ and Shannon Woodward, who plays Dina in the second game, sort of set us up on a nice date. We hit it off instantly,” said Mazin, who ended up co-creating 'The Last of Us' with Druckmann.

'The Last of Us' airs at 9 p.m. on HBO and is available to stream at HBO Max from January 15, 2023.