While all of nerddom has been focusing its ire at HBO over the past few weeks for gutting their original programming and straight up deleting shows from HBO Max, there are at least some things worth celebrating. Not only does today mark the arrival of the much-anticipated Game of Thrones prequel series House of the Dragon, but HBO also released the first footage from the upcoming The Last of Us TV series.
As part of a teaser clip which included clips of other HBO Originals like The White Lotus, Doom Patrol, His Dark Materials, and Avenue 5, they also revealed the first shots of The Last of Us. The Twitter clip concludes with Pedro Pascal as Joel and Bella Ramsey as Ellie traversing across a snowy bridge, huddling up in dark abandoned buildings, running in a panic, firing shots, and investigating some spore-strewn walls. Nick Offerman's Bill is also seen removing a gas mask. It's a mere 20 seconds of footage — notably devoid of the infected — but the tense vibe is clearly established. As Ellie states, "Everybody I've cared for has either died or left me." If nothing else, it's clear that the production design will be on point.
It's also clear with its closing placement, that HBO has incredibly high hopes for the adaption of the award-winning video game series which follows a man riddled with trauma (Joel) having to transport a young girl with a unique immunity (Ellie) across a post-apolcalyptic United States after a plague turns most people into vicious zombie-like monsters. Not only do they have to deal with the infected, but also other human survivors.
While video game adaptations to screen have largely been more miss than hit, the creative team gives reason for optimism regarding The Last of Us. The game's writer/director Neil Druckmann is writing and running the show in tandem with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin. The score for the show is even composed by the game's composer Gustavo Santaolalla. The odds of the show not being a faithful adaptation seem pretty slim, and having Pascal at the center means the acting should be a cut above most video game fare (after all, as the titular Mandalorian, he does have experience protecting a very important children through harrowing situations).
While no release date has been announced, the expectation is that The Last of Us will arrive on our screen sometime early in 2023. The first season is slated for a 10-episode run. Watch the sizzle reel featuring the first footage down below: