Probably the hardest part of adapting a very popular video game into a series is to keep it spoiler free. In a bid to save The Last of Us from potential spoilers, some roles were not disclosed but as we stand a week away from the release, the studio is finally revealing its guarded secrets. A new image by Entertainment Weekly confirms Rutina Wesley is playing Maria.
Without giving any context the image sees her staring at someone, wide-eyed. In the games, Maria is Tommy’s wife and leads a thriving community in Jackson, Wyoming. Her role expands in the second game, so, if there would be a Season 2 renewal, fans can expect to see Wesley in a more expanded role. According to creators Neil Durkmann and Craig Mazin, the nine-episode-long Season 1 will cover the story of the first part of the game from start to finish. But do not expect the story to run very close to the games as the creators have admitted to mixing up the stories from both the games a little as well as adding some new characters. However by the promotional material, one can tell many locations and some of the key moments from the games have been kept intact.
The Last of Us follows Joel, a hardened survivor of a world plagued by a cordyceps infection. He is tasked to smuggle Ellie, a girl who is immune to the disease across the US in hope of finding a vaccine. Fans will soon follow them across the post-apocalyptic US in a bid to find the Fireflies, a resistance group that has the means to make the said vaccine. The Naughty Dog game is famous for its high-octane action and emotional story arcs. The fans have the same expectation from the series and by the looks of it, the upcoming feature is quite faithful to the source material. It also helps that Durkmann, the original games’ director, and Mazin have co-written the story.
Along with Wesley as Maria the series stars Pedro Pascal as Joel, Bella Ramsey as Ellie, Gabriel Luna as Joel’s brother Tommy, Anna Torv as Joel’s partner Tess, Merle Dandridge reprises her character of Fireflies leader Marlene, Murray Bartlett plays Frank, Nick Offerman as Bill, Melanie Lynskey as another resistance leader Kathleen, Storm Reid as Riley Abel and many more.
The Last of Us premieres on January 15. You can check out the trailer below: