After being a worldwide phenomenon in the video game world for a decade, The Last of Us has finally hit everyone's TV screens as an HBO Max series. Following closely to the game's storyline, the series will follow beloved characters Joel and Ellie on their journey traveling cross-country during an apocalypse.
While gamers surely know every piece of lore, every part of the gameplay, and every hidden Easter egg in the video games, there are plenty of facts about the new series that fans of the franchise need to know before they watch.
1 The HBO Series Isn't The First Attempt At An Adaptation
While The Last of Us always seemed like a movie in itself - cited as a literal game-changer in the video game world by its use of motion capture to create its characters, along with its phenomenal cinematic styling - over the years, there were two separate plans to send it to the big screen.
The first was a feature film that spent six years making little progress after a single table read until it was finally canceled in 2020. The next attempt would be an animated film, which Sony decided against greenlighting.
2 Video Game Voice Actors Will Appear
While some new faces are currently taking over these beloved characters, you may hear some familiar voices. Merle Dandridge, the original voice actor of Fireflies leader Marlene, has taken on the live-action role of her video game character for the series.
Joel's and Ellie's original portrayers, Troy Baker and Ashley Johnson, will also make appearances in the series. Baker will play James, a head member of a group of settlers, while Johnson will play Anna, Ellie's mother, in a storyline not fully explored in the games.
3 Not The First HBO Series For Pedro Pascal Or Bella Ramsey
Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey are the new faces of Joel and Ellie, but it's not either actor's first time on an HBO series. And coincidentally, while they never worked together before The Last of Us, they both appeared on different seasons of the same series.
Pascal played Oberyn Martell for a short seven episodes during Season 4 of Game of Thrones, while Ramsey played Lyanna Mormont from Seasons 6 through 8. Both characters were killed off the series by the end of their respective runs.
4 9 Episodes Instead Of 10
When the series was originally announced, with small details trickling in every so often about where to watch, who was cast, and what the overall show would be like, fans were told the first season would consist of 10 episodes, your average amount for streaming shows nowadays.
But as the premiere got closer, the number of episodes decreased to nine for a very important reason. The series premiere was originally two episodes that HBO executives decided to combine into one, fearing the audience wouldn't be compelled enough by the first episode.
5 Breaking Canadian Records
The series was filmed over the course of a year, ranging from July 2021 to June 2022, and despite taking place in cities such as Austin, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts, the show was shot entirely in Alberta, Canada.
According to DH News, the production included the removal of trees and snow, changing local storefronts to better fit the essence of the show, and sending in police cars from Texas, turning The Last of Us into the biggest television production in Canadian history.
6 Several Actors Almost Played Ellie
Fan casting for The Last of Us dates back to 2013 when players noticed the striking resemblance between Ellie and actor Elliot Page (then known as Ellen Page). Since then, several actors have been considered for the role in the adaptations.
Maisy Williams of Game of Thrones fame was first considered for the part in the film that never saw the light of day, and Booksmart star Kaitlyn Dever was later pegged for the role, even doing a table reading. While fans are still torn on whether they like Bella Ramsey as Ellie in the series, the character's original portrayer Ashley Johnson told Naughty Dog: "She's Ellie. She has the essence of Ellie."
7 Musical Easter Eggs
It goes without saying that the new series is full of Easter eggs for the games, but one that every gamer is sure to notice is the show's music. Those recognizable guitar strings were composed by Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed the music for the games.
But the musical Easter eggs don't stop there. Starting with the trailer, one of the songs played is a slowed-down version of "Take On Me" by A-ha. For anyone who has played The Last of Us II, you'll remember this being the song Ellie performs on guitar for Dina.
8 Neil Druckmann Pitched The Concept To George Romero
Zombie apocalypse stories may not exist without George Romero, best known for 1968's horror classic Night of the Living Dead. But another groundbreaker in the zombie genre, Neil Druckmann, revealed to The Hollywood Reporter he once pitched The Last of Us to the legendary filmmaker.
Druckmann had to pitch a zombie story for a class assignment, to be judged by Romero, but after pitching the concept for TLOU, Romero turned him down and chose another student's story. Of Romero's 2017 death, Druckmann included in a Twitter dedication, "The Last of Us wouldn't exist without your inspiration."
9 Don't Expect Several Seasons
While the hope for any new show is for it to get renewed for several seasons, that doesn't seem to be the plan for The Last of Us. Because each season is set to capture a game in the series and Season 1 will tell the story of the first game and the expansion The Last of Us: Left Behind, that leaves only one more game's story to tell.
While Season 2 will definitely cover The Last of Us II, it's rumored the stories of Season 2 will continue into Season 3 in order to tell the complete story of the second game while also giving viewers more episodes to watch.
10 Third Game Means Another Season?
It's been three years since the release of the second game and fans are eagerly awaiting a third, hinted at by creator Neil Druckmann during an interview on The Script podcast. But if the video game got a third addition, what would that mean for the series?
It's unknown whether a The Last of Us III will ever happen, but if did, odds are it wouldn't come out by the time Season 3 of the series aired, presumably in 2025, considering each game in the series took around three years to make.